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The suspect in a Thursday shooting and attempted robbery near the Midnight Diner in South End has a lengthy criminal record, including a previous murder charge that was dropped, court records show.
Bryan Stephen Thomas, 30, was arrested by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Thursday following the shooting in the parking lot of the 24-hour diner at East Carson and South Tryon streets.
In 2005, records show, Thomas was charged with murder. That case was dismissed six months later because of insufficient evidence.
The victim in Thursday’s incident – Langston Giles, 22 – was , shot during an attempted robbery about 2:34 a.m., police say.
Thomas approached Giles and another man in the diner parking lot and fired multiple shots, one of which struck Giles, according to police.
Thomas is charged with multiple felonies, including assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The shooting was reported at 2:50 a.m. at the diner. The shots were fired in a parking lot between the restaurant and the nearby Uptown Cabaret nightclub. Police had been called a short time earlier to deal with a problem at the Uptown Cabaret.
Moments later, shots were fired and several car windows were shattered by gunfire.
When police arrived, they said they noticed a man who had just stood up from behind a car and was walking toward the diner. The man, identified as Thomas, matched the suspect description.
Giles was taken to Carolinas Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. His condition was not available Thursday night.
