Man faces 20 counts of firing into occupied homes after girl hit by shot, NC cops say

A 19-year-old man is facing 20 counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling in connection with the barrage of shots that left a toddler seriously wounded, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

The 2-year-old was hospitalized in stable condition, CMPD said in a Sept. 15 news release.

The shooting happened around 1:40 a.m. Sunday in the Evoke Living at Westerly Hills apartments, near the intersection of Wilkinson Boulevard and Westerly Hills Drive.

“Officers discovered multiple apartment homes that had been struck by gunfire. Officers also located a 2-year-old female victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in one of the residences,” CMPD said.

“Officers immediately began rendering lifesaving medical aid to the child and transported the victim in a CMPD patrol vehicle to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.”

Demetrick McDonald, 19, was arrested Sept. 18 “without incident” as a suspect, CMPD said in a Sept. 19 update.

In addition to multiple counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, McDonald was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill/inflicting serious injury and conspiracy, CMPD said.

A motive for the spree of gunfire has not been released.

The homes struck by shots are in the 5000 block of Evoke Living Lane, where apartment buildings are three-stories high. Investigators have not said how many homes were hit.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.

This story was originally published September 15, 2024 at 6:11 PM.