1 dead in shooting at Charlotte gas station over reported theft, police say
A person shot and killed a suspected thief outside a northwest Charlotte QuikTrip Wednesday morning.
Police responded to a call about theft at the QT on the 10100 block of Bellhaven Boulevard, near its intersection with Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road, at about 10:30 a.m.
An officer saw the suspected thief, 26-year-old David Joseph Leonhardt, fire a shot and drive away from the gas station, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release. When Leonhardt returned, he and a QT customer got into a fight, and the customer shot him, authorities say.
Leonhardt died at the scene, near the intersection of Brookshire Boulevard and Interstate 485.
Officers among the first to arrive requested help interviewing witnesses near a QuikTrip and salon around 10:40 a.m., according to emergency dispatch radio obtained via Broadcastify.
“Give me two more on scene here at QT, I’ve got a bunch of witnesses,” an officer said.
Officers took the customer who fired the shot into CMPD and are not looking for any more suspects at this time. Police are not seeking charges at this time.
Anyone with information can call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to the case’s lead detective or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 12:14 PM.
