‘You cannot escape God.‘ CMPD, family seek help solving grocery store parking lot murder
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police released on Wednesday photos and video footage of a vehicle that they believe held the killer of a 19-year-old who was fatally shot in a grocery parking lot in November.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, which happened Nov. 25. CMPD says officers responded to reports of shots fired at the University City Boulevard shopping center. At the scene, they found evidence of a shooting but no victims or suspects. Soon, staff at Atrium Health University City Hospital notified police of a gunshot wound victim. The victim, Nathaniel Isenhour, died the next morning.
Since then, his killer has remained at large, prompting police to release footage of the vehicle and Isenhour’s family to ask the community for help.
The video shows a sedan with damage to the front passenger door and a burned out right tail light. The video is from a gas station inside the Harris Teeter parking lot, said CMPD homicide detective Christian Sinnott.
There is a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case. Tips can be given anonymous, Sinnott said Wednesday.
“We won’t ask for your name (or) where you live and we will not ask you to testify in court,” he said.
Standing next to Isenhour’s brothers and other family members, Isenhour’s parents pleaded for the community to offer information on who killed their son.
“Not knowing is absolute torture, so please, I’m begging somebody: Say something,” said Sonny Isenhour, who is a Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Sonny Isenhour described his son as a fun-loving athlete. At the time of his passing, he had been taking a break from Pembroke College. He said his son “wasn’t the kid to run wild on the street” and enjoyed the outdoors, having grown up in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, a half an hour away from Charlotte.
“Before Nate passed, he become involved with questionable individuals and I suppose that’s what led us to where we are today,” his father said.
Sheri Walker, Isenhour’s mother, said as an emergency room nurse she has often had to console and hold mothers who had lost their children.
“Never did I think I would be on this end of things,” she said.
Walker said her son was a loyal sibling who was supposed to be his brother’s first football and wrestling coach. Walker also took the time to directly address whoever was responsible for killing her son.
“While you may elude the police, you cannot escape God,” she said. “Our God is smarter, wiser and stronger than any evil-doer.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 12:20 PM.
