Suspect charged in shooting outside uptown club as CMPD continues search for others
A suspected driver of one of the vehicles seen on surveillance video during a shooting at an uptown club Monday morning, police said.
Cecil Orelefant Oxner, 43, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting that happened around 2 a.m. outside the Babylon Hookah Lounge in the 500 block of North College Street, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.
Additional charges on at least two more individuals are expected, police Capt. Brad Koch said during a news conference Thursday.
Police suspect Oxner is the driver of a white, four-door Honda Accord that is seen in the video from a nearby business. Koch said a second vehicle in the video, a Mazda CX-5, was a rental and found unoccupied in Virginia.
More than 50 rounds were fired in the crowded parking lot Monday morning, and Koch said police believe “the intended target was obviously known to the individuals.”
“It’s a longstanding feud between groups over a number of years,” he said.
CMPD believes it knows who the intended target was, and police are looking for other individuals involved in the shooting, Koch said.
“I believe everybody who was involved in that should face charges, because the clear disregard for human life was evident out there,” he said. “We are incredibly fortunate ... that more individuals (were) not struck by this gunfire,” he said.
One individual did get struck in the crossfire, and Koch said the victim remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after going through “several surgeries.” The victim doesn’t appear to be the intended target at this point, Koch said.
“He just happened, unfortunately, to be at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.
Police asks that anyone with information about this case to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
