Gunfire erupts at child custody exchange, sending 3 to hospital, Matthews police say
Three adults were hospitalized and two men were arrested after gunshots erupted at a child custody exchange in Windsor Park southeast of Charlotte, according to the Matthews Police Department.
It happened around 12:15 p.m. Sunday, and investigators say all three victims are expected to survive.
Investigators say the domestic dispute began as two groups of adults met in the parking lot of Windsor Park for “a child exchange.”
“Communications received a call from a man stating that while in the car with his girlfriend at Windsor Park, ... he had just been shot by his girlfriend’s ex-husband and shot at by the ex-husband’s brother,” police said.
The victim drove away and reported the suspects — identified by police as the Michael Isaiah McDonald, the 23-year-old ex-husband, and his brother Christopher O’Bryan McDonald, 20 — began following him. They veered away when the victim entered the parking lot of Matthews Medical Center, officials said. The victim was treated for a gunshot wound to his wrist, and a woman in his car “was treated and released for injuries received from shattered glass and a physical assault,” officials said.
A Matthews police officer located the suspect vehicle and discovered during a traffic stop on East Independence Boulevard that the driver had “a significant wound to the arm,” officials said.
“The officer immediately applied a tourniquet to slow/stop the bleeding until medical personnel could arrive,” police said.
Inside the vehicle, police found the ex-husband, his two children and the brother. The suspect is currently in stable condition.
On Monday, Matthews police officials announced that both McDonalds were arrested and both charged with two counts of each of the following: attempted first degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, felony conspiracy, and discharging a firearm in city limits. Both men are held at the Mecklenburg County Jail.
This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 6:11 AM.