Man shot outside South End’s popular Midnight Diner

A man was shot Monday morning in the parking lot of the popular Midnight Diner south of uptown, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.

The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, CMPD spokeswoman Officer Cindy Wallace said Monday night.

No one has been arrested, Wallace said.

The shooting happened at about 6 a.m., and the man was hit in the back, WSOC-TV reported. The restaurant closed for several hours as police investigated.

Officers told WSOC the shooting stemmed from an argument.

Police are not saying if they have a suspect and have not released the victim’s name.

It’s the fifth time since 2012 that police have investigated a gunfire incident outside the restaurant on East Carson Boulevard at South Tryon Street. Victims were struck by bullets and hospitalized in three of the cases.

Among the incidents police have investigated:

▪ In May 2016, police found a man who had been shot in the lot behind the diner and collapsed in front of the restaurant as he was calling for help. The shooting occurred around 2:38 a.m. The man, who was shot in the stomach, was a regular customer at the diner and had been seen there about an hour before the shooting. He survived.

▪ In December 2016, an argument that began at the Midnight Diner led to a shooting nearby and a car trying to drive down the light-rail tracks to avoid gunfire. The car crashed on the tracks about 2:40 a.m. near 124 E. Tremont Ave., police said. At least one bullet struck the car, police said.

▪ In August 2013, gunfire was reported outside the restaurant and someone was struck by flying glass, police said. Two cars – one of which was occupied – were hit by bullets. A nearby house also may have been hit by the bullets, police said.

▪ In December 2012, a man was shot in the parking lot behind the restaurant during an attempted robbery about 2:34 a.m., police said. The robber fired multiple shots, one of which struck the 22-year-old victim. His injuries were not life-threatening and a suspect was later arrested, police said.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 7:05 AM with the headline "Man shot outside South End’s popular Midnight Diner."