CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating a homicide in southeast Charlotte Saturday morning.
Just before 6 a.m. officers responded to reports of someone who was shot near the 6200 block of Balsam Fir Drive, in Woodland Estates Apartment complex. When they arrived, officers located a man with an apparent gunshot wound in the parking lot.
Police said the man was pronounced deceased on scene by MEDIC. He has since been identified as 25-year-old Rahim Martin-Byrd.
Homicide Unit detectives responded to the scene to conduct an investigation, and Crime Scene Search responded to process the scene and collect physical evidence.
This is the city's 62nd homicide in 2020.
CMPD attributes the rise in crime to arguments that turn into violence.
"It could be something as simple as I punked you out on social media, or I talked to your girlfriend, even over designer belts," CMPD spokesperson Rob Tufano said.
NAACP Charlotte President Corine Mack said the pandemic may play a part.
"It's neighborhood-on-neighborhood violence, in particular around COVID-19 and coronavirus times because people are frustrated, they're angry," Mack said.
Both say more needs to be done to combat the problem — working directly with the communities impacted.
"Enough is enough, this has to stop," CMPD Major Ryan Butler said.
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