Gun violence Wednesday morning takes life of Charlotte’s 100th homicide victim in 2020
UPDATE: ON THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2020, POLICE SAID THE VICTIM WAS 41-YEAR-OLD ABEL WILLIAM HARRIS.
Few details were released publicly about what led to a shooting and killing on Princess Street, just off North Graham on Wednesday morning. The person who died became the city’s 100th homicide victim of 2020, police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said officers found the person, whose name was not released, dead inside a home.
“As we count the homicide numbers,” people should never forget “there’s a community member lost, a family member to be mourned” in each case, CMPD Lt. Steve Fischbach said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday night, 30-year-old Robert Lee Darby became the city’s 99th homicide victim when he was shot near the 1700 block of Pegram Street in east Charlotte. He died at a hospital. WBTV, the Observer’s news partner, reported that Darby’s family said he was intending to open up a business at the place where he was killed.
“It’s troubling for us as detectives,” CMPD Lt. Bryan Crum said, referring to the 100 homicides. “It’s troubling for us as community members .... One is too many ... We can’t keep losing community members like this.”
Police, he said, need the help of residents to come forward with information in every case they investigate.
“We don’t do this in a vacuum,“ he said. “The reality is we solve cases because our community partners with us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 704-432-8477 or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 11:27 AM.