Murder suspect caught looting uptown bar on tape, prosecutors say

Less than an hour after police say he shot and killed a man during a chaotic downtown demonstration, Rayquan Borum was captured on surveillance video helping loot an Epicenter bar, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Borum, 21, faces first degree murder charges in the Sept. 21 death of Justin Carr outside the Omni Hotel on East Trade Street. The 8:30 p.m. shooting occurred during the spreading unrest following the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott the day before.

Forty-five minutes after Carr was fatally wounded, authorities say Borum was among a group of men that smashed their way into the nearby Kandy Bar in the Epicentre. Assistant District Attorney Kristen McNeal told a judge at Borum’s court hearing on Thursday that the 21-year-old Charlotte man can be seen climbing over the bar and grabbing liquor.

Prosecutors say Borum has admitted to the shooting. He also faces an array of looting-related charges stemming from the violence that spread across uptown that night. Mecklenburg jail records indicate Borum was arrested on a series of drugs and weapons charges in 2015.

He is also wanted in Georgia on a felony parole violation on a previous drug conviction. Rockdale County, Ga., records indicate Borum also has a conviction there on a weapons charge.

Borum was one of about a dozen defendants charged in the aftermath of the Scott and Carr shootings who appeared Thursday before District Judge Yolanda Trotman. Like Borum, many of them had lengthy criminal records involving weapons, drugs and assault.

Yet a small group of protestors who demonstrated in front of the courthouse described the arrested as “freedom fighters” who have been saddled with excessive bonds and trumped up charges.

Charlotte Uprising continues to allege that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police killed Carr, just as they did Scott, and have framed Borum for the death. They have called on charges to be dropped against the 100 or more persons arrested during the disturbances. Dozens are accused of such offenses as curfew violations, impeding traffic or failure to disperse.

The demonstrators Thursday also called on authorities to release the names of all police officers who they say are responsible for Scott’s and Carr’s deaths.

Charlotte activist Ashley Williams, one of Charlotte Uprising’s founders, says the group’s protests will escalate until the city meets its demands.

Asked to respond to the group’s charges that police killed Carr, CMPD spokesman Rob Tufano said “information and evidence” gathered during the investigation led detectives to Borum.

Citing his professional code of conduct, Assistant District Attorney Clayton Jones, who is handling Borum’s murder case, said he could not comment.

Inside the courtroom, Trotman warned the protestors not to disrupt the proceedings or they would face possible contempt of court charges.

“I will not tolerate any disturbances,” the judge said. “Today is not the day, and I am not the one.”

When Borum and several others were led individually into the courtroom by deputies, the protesters stood in support. Several raised fists.

Trotman would not have it.

“You are to remain seated,” she said, voice rising. “Please, do not try me on this.”

Researcher Maria David contributed.

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Murder suspect caught looting uptown bar on tape, prosecutors say."