Local

Officers on patrol hear gunshots, find man dead outside a Charlotte home

Officers on patrol heard gunshots and found a man dead outside a Charlotte home early Saturday, police said.

The victim, later identified as 41-year-old Ray Marese Garlins, had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release.

Garlins was found about 12:30 a.m. near the 1700 block of Finchley Drive, off East Sugar Creek in north Charlotte, police said.

A CMPD helicopter and canine unit also responded.

On Saturday night, police said they arrested 21-year-old Darius Emmanuel Platt on a first-degree murder charge.

Platt is on electronic monitoring for an unrelated offense, and police said the monitoring system showed he was near the scene when Garlins was killed.

This story was originally published May 15, 2021 at 8:37 AM.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER