CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Medic reported one person was killed following a shooting in north Charlotte Monday morning. It's a tragic milestone for the Queen City as the murder rate on July 1 matches the total from all of last year.
Monday morning, a man was gunned down in north Charlotte in the 9500 block of Feldbank Drive about a mile from Hornets Nest Park. Police have identified the victim as 40-year-old Eugene Williams. That brings the total number of people murdered in Charlotte this year to 58.
Police say Eugene Williams was shot and killed while driving; his car came to rest near Feldbank and Evanshire. NBC Charlotte talked to a longtime friend of Williams who said she saw him just minutes before he was murdered. She did not want her identity revealed on camera.
She said she waved to Williams as their cars were passing at 9:25 a.m. Police say officers got the call he was shot at 9:36 a.m. Williams friend says if she knew it would be the last time she would see him, she would have said more.
“‘Brother, I love you’,” she said she would say to Williams. “I grew up with him, we were born and raised at the womb in Trinity Park.”
His friend said Williams was an 'overall good person' who was widely known and well-loved throughout the neighborhood.
The murder also marks a tragic time for the Queen City. It’s the 58th murder this year -- the same number of homicides as all of last year.
“I’m tired of the violence, I want equal accountability,” Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney previously said.
Chief Putney expressed frustration that violent repeat offenders continue to be released from jail; he specifically focused on those who are let out with have electronic monitoring devices.
“Initially, we were not seeing this level of recidivism, now people are a bit more brazen, and a monitor on their ankle is not enough to prevent them from committing crimes,” Chief Putney said.
Every murder leaves behind a trail of pain for those close to the victims.
“He has problems with nobody, nobody,” Williams’ friend said. “Whoever did it, he didn’t deserve this, and I hope they get what they get, the punishment they deserve.”
Police have not released information about the exact circumstances of the shooting, but investigators say it was not a random act. No arrests have been made at this point. Police say it’s an active and ongoing investigation.
CMPD has not released any suspect information or announced any arrests.
Stay with NBC Charlotte for the latest on this developing story.