Table Of Content
- Gov. Cooper orders flags at half-staff
- Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter
- Charlotte Shooting
- Safest Places to Live in and Around
- Daily Crime In Charlotte (per 100,000 people)
- Homicides up nearly 27% in Charlotte through 3rd quarter of 2022; overall violent crime down, police say
- President Biden, Gov. Cooper & NC politicians offer condolences

-- An attempt to serve a warrant turned deadly Monday when a deputy U.S. marshal and three other members of a task force were shot and killed in Charlotte. One neighbor, Tyler Wilson, shot videos as police swarmed through his yard. According to Wilson, who kept recording even as an injured officer was pulled through his living room, gunshots were coming from every direction. Jennings said as officers approached Hughes after he was shot, people inside the home fired more shots at them.
Gov. Cooper orders flags at half-staff
During a Wednesday morning news conference, CMPD officials said overall crime is up 4.5% compared to this time in 2021. Other positive trends include a drop in robberies (down 5%), burglaries (down 3%), rapes (down 22%), and aggravated assaults (down 6%). Homicides (up 26%) and property crime (up 10%) both rose through the first 3 months of 2023. Police say overall crime is down in Charlotte by 4% so far this year compared to the first nine months of 2020. Statistics released Wednesday by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department show violent crime is down 3% in that same time frame. In areas where housing affordability is an issue, crime can become a significant concern.

Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter
Gadi Adelman with Back The Blue NC said there is still something people can do if they cannot afford a donation. Some neighbors had police snipers set up in their homes while others had injured officers pulled to safety through their living rooms. The home was heavily damaged by a SWAT team, which rammed the house with an armored vehicle. Four officers were killed Monday while trying to serve a warrant at an east Charlotte home. After Charlotte saw two years of increases in violent crime, 2021 was something of a relief. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say violent crime dropped by 7% last year compared to 2020.
Charlotte Shooting
Video posted to social media appeared to show over a dozen police cruisers and two officers running at the scene. The Marshals Service identified the deputy U.S. marshal who was killed in the shooting as Thomas Weeks Jr., 48. He is survived by a wife and four children, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. Police said the officers called for backup and they continued to exchange fire with the suspect. More gunfire came from inside the house as officers approached the suspect, setting off a long standoff, Jennings said.
Car thefts drive surge in overall crime
Some individuals and families may be forced to live in overcrowded or substandard housing conditions, which can increase stress and potentially contribute to domestic disputes and related crimes. The median home price in Charlotte is $235,000, compared to a national average of $184,700. President Biden spoke with Cooper and "expressed his condolences and support for the community," the White House said in a statement. "There's indication that the suspect saw them coming to the house prior to them getting to the front door," Jennings said during a news conference Tuesday.
CMPD said these numbers can be traced back to the "Kia Challenge" of 2022 that led to a nationwide surge in stolen Hyundai and Kia models. The Crime Indices range from 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime). In February, two police officers and a paramedic were killed near Minneapolis after a man, who was barricaded in his home, opened fire on the police. Officers returned fire, and the gunman was later reported dead.
Four members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were also shot, one of whom died from his injuries on Monday night, the police said on social media. The officer, Joshua Eyer, who had been with the department for six years, was helping other officers arrest the suspect when he was shot, the police said. Cooper offered his condolences to the law enforcement officers shot on Monday. During Tuesday's news conference, Jennings said Hughes fired shots at officers from the upstairs of the home in both the front and the back.

Homicides up nearly 27% in Charlotte through 3rd quarter of 2022; overall violent crime down, police say
Charlotte, North Carolina homicide rate in 2019 - WCNC.com
Charlotte, North Carolina homicide rate in 2019.
Posted: Mon, 28 Oct 2019 07:00:00 GMT [source]
So far in 2023, there have been 3,752 total thefts of both makes, which is an 842% increase. The spike in auto thefts is traced back to a social media trend, the ‘Kia Challenge’ that originated in the summer of 2022. It gave details on how to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles easily without needing keys.
Hate crimes are rising, but NC Republicans refuse to act. Why? Opinion - Charlotte Observer
Hate crimes are rising, but NC Republicans refuse to act. Why? Opinion.
Posted: Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The number of underage victims of gun violence saw a sharp increase as well, going up 18% from the year before. Those victims include 8-year-old Olivia Velez, who was shot in the head when her family's home was shot into in April. CMPD said that case is believed to be the result of a dispute between groups of young people. CMPD says the majority of car thefts were being committed by teenagers, with juveniles making up 68% of all stolen car arrests. This month, two police officers were killed outside a home near Syracuse, N.Y., during a shootout after they were following up on a traffic violation.
"We remember them, we honor their service, we send our deepest condolences to their families and friends, and we pray for healing for all affected by this tragic incident." Overall, 67% of stolen vehicles in Charlotte last year were Kias and Hyundais. CMPD says it recovered more than half of stolen vehicles last year and made more than 1,200 arrests, which was a 98% increase from 2022. CMPD says that is mainly driven by a 120% spike in stolen cars. CMPD reported over 8,000 stolen vehicles in 2023, of which 5,432 were Kias and Hyundais.
During Thursday’s press conference, CMPD also said arrests have been on the rise compared to 2022, with 11,634 so far this year compared to 10,327 last year. For example, in 2023, 582 of 838 auto theft arrests were juvenile suspects. Now, Darrell Gregory, who leads Youth Based Strategies of Mecklenburg County, says a lot of small community groups working on reducing violence have been overlooked by CMPD, the city, county and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Tyler Wilson told CBS affiliate WBTV he was working at home when he heard officers calling for someone to come out of a neighboring house. Eyer, who had been with the department for six years, "fought for his life for several hours before succumbing to his injuries," the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a statement.