CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Most of the parents of teens who were charged in connection to the New Year's Eve 2024 shooting in Uptown Charlotte have had their charges dropped.
Court records reviewed by WCNC Charlotte show that six of the seven parents cited had the charges dropped in March and June. The parents were cited for allowing their teenage children to be in the uptown area past curfew. Some were also accused of trying to obstruct delinquent adjudication for the teens.
When WCNC Charlotte asked for the reasoning from the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office, a spokesperson pointed us to the details available in the eCourts system.
The case timelines for the six dismissed parents all showed the DA's office did so due to insufficient evidence. The seventh parent has a hearing later in July.
The shooting on New Year's Eve happened at 11:30 p.m. on January 31 at Romare Bearden Park. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said 19-year-old Daevion Markeith Crawford shot into a crowd and hit five people. He was charged with five counts of assault with a deadly weapon and going armed to the terror of the people.
Charlotte leaders like city councilmen Tariq Bokhari and Malcolm Graham chimed in in the wake of the shooting as did mayor Vi Lyles. Bokhari called for a special task force on crime to be formed and Graham theorized that youth violence involved several factors, including lack of parental supervision and easy access to guns.