Late night gunfire into Charlotte apartment kills local Realtor and veteran, police say
Gunshots fired into a southwest Charlotte apartment early Saturday left a local Realtor and military veteran dead, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
James “Jimmy” Freiberg, 48, was struck by a stray bullet during a “large shootout” and later pronounced dead by Medic, according to a CMPD news release.
Police said officers near the 10000 block of Hillgrove Lane reported hearing gunshots around 3:00 a.m. and found several casings in the parking lot of an apartment complex that had been fired into one of the units. The incident was between two groups of people unrelated to Freiberg, police said.
The apartments are located near Steele Creek Road, north of Westinghouse Boulevard, in southwest Charlotte.
Police are asking the public help find a dark grey or black Dodge Charger or Challenger, which is believed to be the suspect’s car. The vehicle will have extensive front-end damage, including the right front headlight out and possibly several bullet holes, police said. It was seen heading on Highway 160 towards I-485.
CMPD did not disclose what prompted the shooting, though a police report listed more than a dozen people being impacted.
Freiberg is a Chicago native who lived in Charlotte working as a Realtor for McNulty Realty and is a sports card expert for AAA Collectibles in Matthews, according to his personal Facebook page. He also served as a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps while stationed at the Air Station New River in Jacksonville, NC from 1991-95.
Freiberg brought “joy and energy” into every room he entered, council member Larken Egleston said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
“Charlotte lost one of the most genuine people I’ve ever known this morning due to random, senseless gun violence,” Egleston said. “There is a hole in a lot of our hearts in Charlotte today. Love you, buddy...you will be missed.”
More than $35,000 has already been raised in support of the Freiberg family through their GoFundMe page.
Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call the CMPD homicide unit at 704-432-8477, or leave an anonymous tip on the Crime Stoppers line at 704-334-1600.
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 8:55 AM.