CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Neel Jadeja said he heard a crash and then saw two men struggling near one of the vehicles. Within a few minutes, he was witness to a shooting.
"We got to keep our families safe our children safe, the people that come and try to live their lives safe," Jadeja said.
It was another case of anger leading to violence, which escalates into someone pulling a gun and shooting someone else. In just the last 24 hours CMPD has worked several crime scenes of people getting shot, two died including a man shot and killed after a fight inside the Fox and Hound restaurant near Northlake Mall.
Police didn’t release much information but said the incident happened Tuesday night at the restaurant. CMPD has not released the name of the victim nor the name of any suspect.
Tuesday morning, two men got into a car crash in Steele Creek and that led to the shooting that Jadeja saw. He pulled out his phone and shot dramatic video of a fight that showed two men struggling in a shopping center. In the video, you could see a gun in one of the men’s hands.
Anti-violence advocate Mark Raley with Young Men United says the key is improving conflict resolution.
“Our community we’re not thinking, we’re just reacting," Raley said. “How to figure it out, but not always with your fist or with a gun.”
The video shows one of the men trying to walk away and then the other man shoots him. A nearby off-duty firefighter called 911 and came over to help the seriously wounded man get aid.
That incident came hours after two people shot at the Pilot gas station off Statesville Avenue just off 85. CMPD said that when they arrived, they found two people shot.
Medic took both men to the hospital but 32-year-old Raymond Goodman, a navy veteran and member of the local Charlotte group Metal Roze died from his injuries.
Police have not released the name of the other victim, nor if they have any suspects.
In July during the mid-year review, CMPD reported 51 homicides so far this year. Since then CrimeMapping shows 34 additional homicides have also been reported.
In hopes of reducing that homicide count, Raley says he's focused on starting with the youth.
“We got to get them when they’re really young like middle school -- 10, 11, 12 years old to get them to change their mindset because they see a lot," Raley said. "They’re only going to respond to what they see.”
Most troubling about these shootings is the fact that they all happened when others were around and could have become innocent bystanders.
"To see it actually coming to this area, to come to this environment to affect my neighbors, and clients it's definitely something to be concerned about," Jadeja said.
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