CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A person was shot and killed in Charlotte's Cordelia Park Tuesday morning, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.
CMPD responded to a call to assist Medic at Cordelia Park, which sits between the Villa Heights and NoDa neighborhoods in north Charlotte, along North Davidson Street. When officers got to the park, they found the victim had died from a gunshot wound.
Crime scene investigators focused on searching a wooded area of the park, just beyond the community garden and playground. CMPD confirmed this is the ninth homicide of the year so far.
“We make our rounds, go up this hill and go through," Andrew McAnulty, who lives nearby, said about the route he walks daily with his baby. "They kind of stopped us and said, 'Hey,' there was something that happened. I didn’t know it was a homicide until you told us but definitely concerning and scary.”
Several walkers and runners were caught off guard by the large police presence.
“It’s very shocking," a woman who walks her dog in Cordelia Park two times a day said. "I thought this was a very safe neighborhood. I live alone, and I have never felt uncomfortable on this trail.”
CMPD has not identified the victim or released any suspect information at this time. Homicide detectives were called to the scene and searched the area for witnesses to the shooting.
Cordelia Park is in the middle of Villa Heights, an up-and-coming neighborhood with several long-time businesses. There was a clear view of the crime scene across North Davidson Street from NoDa Bark and Board, a doggie day care. Employees there said they didn’t notice anything unusual this morning until the police arrived.
“It does get very, very unnerving when it hits this close to home," Regina Hozdik said. "But at the same time, there’s nowhere in the world that is safe anymore."
Crime mapping shows, in the last month, there have been 18 violent crimes and 1one other homicide within a one-mile radius of the park.
“You might hear a couple of things here and there, but for it to actually be a body and so close to home and us be here so frequently definitely makes you think 'Hey, is this safe? Should I live in this neighborhood,'” McAnulty said.
Police have not said if it was a random shooting, but this is now another violent incident at a local park. In November 2022, two teenagers were shot and killed in Fred Alexander Park in north Charlotte. About two weeks later, and less than a mile away, a park ranger was shot at the Friendship Sportsplex.
Some are now left reconsidering their regular habits.
“I might not run through this park anymore because it is a little secluded, lots of forest around, it has made me nervous before,” Grace Nadermann said.
Anyone with information about this shooting or any other incident is asked to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Witnesses may also call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly with CMPD homicide detectives.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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