‘Everyone’s big brother’: Friend remembers Jimmy Freiberg, local Realtor killed in shooting
For Jim Kleinberg, everybody knows a Jimmy Freiberg.
“He’s the friend who always has a kind word, drives nine hours across the country to attend your wedding or picks you up when your car breaks down,” Kleinberg told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday.
Freiberg, 48, was struck and killed by a stray bullet early Saturday during what was described by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police as a “large shootout” in the parking lot of an apartment complex near the 10000 block of Hillgrove Lane.
Freiberg was a Chicago native who lived in Charlotte working as a Realtor for McNulty Realty, the Observer previously reported. 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.
Although only days removed from Freiberg’s death, Kleinberg said he’s remaining positive because that’s the attitude his friend always had.
“In life, there are many things that you can’t choose, but you can always choose your attitude,” he said. “Jimmy always chose a positive attitude.”
A 20-year friendship
The two men met around 2000 at the old Dixie’s Tavern location on East 7th Street, Kleinberg said. Freiberg, he said, worked as a manager and DJ at the music venue.
When the Epicentre, a now-defunct uptown Charlotte shopping mall opened up in 2008, Freiberg became a manager and DJ at Whisky River and Rooftop 210 there, Kleinberg said.
Kleinberg explained that Freiberg had many passions, including music, but sports and baseball cards were transcendent for him. Before he could even fully ask Freiberg about working with him at AAA Collectibles in Matthews, he had already heard “I’m in.”
“I think Jimmy knew that whether we’re 8 or 80, we love baseball cards because we all want to believe in heroes,” Kleinberg said. “For some people, heroes are The Avengers or Justice League, but for Jimmy, it was the Cubs and the Green Bay Packers.”
His love for sports and music allowed him to meet so many people, whether they were coming into the card shop or a bar he worked in, according to Kleinberg. And whoever Freiberg met, he made them “feel like they were family.”
“You weren’t a stranger for long when Jimmy was around,” Kleinberg said. “He was everyone’s big brother.”
Freiberg loved three families
Family was important to Freiberg, and he had three of them, Kleinberg said.
His family by birth and marriage. His family in the service industry. And his baseball card collectors family.
“Jimmy loved spending time with all three, but his favorite was definitely the time he spent with his wife and kids,” said Kleinberg.
Freiberg is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and their two children. More than $53,000 has already been raised in support of the Freiberg family through a GoFundMe page.
CMPD said officers are looking for a dark gray or black Dodge Charger or Challenger with “several bullet holes” and front-end damage that is believed to be connected to the shooting.
“We really hope that we can bring some closure to the family,” CMPD Lt. Bryan Crumb said during a news conference on Wednesday.“If you see that car, please call us because it’s a really important piece to the puzzle for us.”
Police ask anyone with information about the shooting or suspect vehicle 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 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
