CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One person was killed and another person was injured when a tree crashed through an apartment building in Charlotte's Plaza Midwood neighborhood early Monday morning.
The incident happened a little before 2 a.m. at an apartment complex at Commonwealth Avenue and Morningside Drive.
Charlotte firefighters conducted a rescue operation to reach people trapped inside the apartment building. While reinforcing the building to prevent further collapse, firefighters rescued one person from a third-floor apartment, according to the Charlotte Fire Department. Medic said one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Inside that same apartment, firefighters found a person who had died. He has since been identified as Paul Saunders.
Plaza Midwood bar Workman's Friend shared a post on Instagram on Wednesday confirming Saunders was married to an employee at Workman's Friend.
"The road ahead for her will not be an easy one, but with the love and support from our strong community, together we can help lift her up and take what little stress we can off of her," the post reads, in part.
A GoFundMe has been created to help his wife Shaleen with funeral costs.
"At like 1:45 there was a huge bang," a neighbor said. "Got me right out of bed and the tree went through the window right next to me. I was trapped in the room because the frame on the bedroom door came down and the door was jammed. The police had to kick the door down to get me out."
The neighbor said hearing someone in his building died makes him feel even luckier to get out unharmed.
"I'm realizing more, now that I've looked at the damage, I'm pretty lucky," he said.
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