Kids and guns at the forefront as overall crime in Charlotte increases, police say
After an increase in overall crime in Charlotte this year, police implored the public to help stop gun violence among the city’s youth.
Overall crime in the city has increased 4.3% over this point last year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Maj. Brian Foley said during a news conference Thursday.
Property crime rose 6% and violent crime increased 3% compared to the same period last year.
It’s the number of cases involving guns and children that Foley emphasized, calling on parents and caregivers to be more accountable for their children – and to properly secure any guns they own.
This year, 482 children under age 18 have been victims of gun violence, according to CMPD. That includes Cherish, a 10-year-old girl who suffered serious injuries after being shot at a car wash in March.
Foley said 118 juveniles have been suspects in gun-related crimes.
“We need active parents,” Foley said. “CMPD needs the support, the participation and the partnership of active parents, to negate this youth violence.”
The news conference was held at Faith CME Church in the Hidden Valley neighborhood, a week after a 17-year-old was shot and killed in a nearby church parking lot.
It is particularly hard for officers to see teens who are being murdered by other teens, he said.
“They see the wanton loss of life, they see the lost potential for kids,” Foley said.
Police officials, in a CMPD news release, said they are seeing children as young as 13 “armed and routinely committing shootings.”
The children, in most cases, are not prosecuted as adults, released back to their caretakers then “go on to re-offend,” CMPD said.
“This process of catch and release with juvenile suspects is frustrating and disheartening to both officers and the communities affected by the violence.”
North Carolina’s Raise The Age Law, which passed in 2019, ensures that 16- and 17-year-olds in the state are no longer automatically charged as adults.
Charlotte crime stats
For the first quarter of 2022, overall crime and property crime increased just 1%, and violent crime went up 2% compared with the same period a year ago, CMPD said in April.
Foley on Thursday said that while violent crime incidents have increased midway through 2022, the number of victims decreased about 2% — likely because more properties with fewer residents have been shot in the second quarter.
The fatal shooting of a 48-year-old woman in the University City area on Wednesday morning is at least the 56th homicide in Charlotte this year, which data show is about the same as a year ago. At this point in 2020, Charlotte had 58 homicides.
Other midyear statistics CMPD shared Thursday:
▪ At least 500 guns have been stolen from cars;
▪ Assaults with a gun are up over 25% this year over a five-year average;
▪ Assault decreased nearly 25%;
▪ Robberies rose 5%;
▪ Rapes decreased 24% from last year.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 5:04 PM.
