Man killed in Charlotte Transportation Center shooting was caught in crossfire
City leaders say they understand concerns about safety in uptown, especially after a recent homicide at the Charlotte Transportation Center on East Trade Street, but that there isn’t an immediate solution to the problem.
Police responded to a shooting about 10:30 p.m. Saturday and found Qualo Trevon Daniels, 31, on the floor with a gunshot wound, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. He died at a hospital.
Police arrested Jeremiah Deshawn McCree, 20, on Wednesday, a CMPD press release said. McCree was charged with first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court records, McCree got into a shootout with another man at the transportation center and Daniels — “standing in the crossfire” — was shot in the head.
The shooting was part of a weekend in Charlotte that included another deadly shooting and a fatal stabbing. Days before, CMPD officials reported a drop in crime so far in 2025.
It’s an “extremely frustrating” contrast for the community and local leaders, Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham told The Charlotte Observer.
“It’s like taking three steps forward and two steps backwards,” said Graham, whose District 2 includes parts of uptown.
Crime in Charlotte is down and arrests were up in the first three months of 2025 compared to the first three months of last year, CMPD said at a press conference April 10.
Between Jan. 1 and March 31, crime fell overall by 6% citywide, police said. Violent crimes, including homicides and shootings, dropped 17%. Property crimes dropped 4%.
Loitering a problem, local worker says
While Justin Koffi said he doesn’t feel unsafe at his job at Plaza Sundries, a store inside of the transportation center, he also doesn’t find violence there surprising.
Fights are common, Koffi said, pointing to people who loiter as the main contributor.
Koffi said addressing loitering would improve safety. But he isn’t sure how it could be done, he said.
“The people who are the ones taking the bus and those people who are hanging around not doing nothing every day — you can’t tell the difference,” Koffi said. “So it makes it very hard to know the difference between those people.”
Data on crime at transit center
Since January 2024, there were 41 reported simple assaults in the 300 block of East Trade Street, which includes the Charlotte Transportation Center, according to data provided by CMPD. In that same time frame, there were eight reported aggravated assaults, four of which involved a knife.
Daniels was the third person killed in a homicide at the transportation center since December.
Joshua Overton, 32, died on Dec. 8 after a fight with security guards and nearby civilians just outside of the Burger King at the transportation center. CMPD and the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office said Overton’s death was “justified,” and no charges were filed.
Police charged two people in the killing of Leashan McBeath, 21, who was stabbed and robbed at the transportation center on Feb. 20.
CMPD stats showed three armed robberies, four strong-arm robberies and 22 other thefts at the transportation center since January 2024.
What can Charlotte do to improve safety at transportation center?
The Charlotte Area Transit System declined to comment on Saturday’s shooting at the transportation center.
“We will continue to work with our partners at CMPD and our contracted security team, PSS, to ensure a safe environment for riders and employees at the CTC,” the transit agency said in a statement.
Despite the citywide progress reported by CMPD, another uptown shooting “gives everyone pause about what’s really happening in our community” and forces the community to grapple with “perception vs. reality” on crime, Graham said.
“If you don’t feel safe, you’re not safe,” he said.
Graham called the current transportation center “problematic for a wide variety of reasons,” including its small size and frequent loitering in the area.
“If I was the wizard for a day, I would try to relocate it,” he said.
The Charlotte City Council approved an $89 million plan in 2023 to build a new underground bus hub at the site of the current transit center. It was slated to include private development above ground, including a new Charlotte Hornets practice facility that has since been moved.
But rising costs due to inflation and uncertainty about Mecklenburg County’s willingness to participate in the project upended that plan, interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle previously told the Observer. Cagle said at the time CATS was looking into alternatives, including other sites, and working with an architect on improvements to the current facility.
“That spot may have outlived its useful existence in reference to us having the ability to properly police it and to create an environment where it’s safe and secure for those who need it the most,” Graham said Tuesday of the current site.
Council member Ed Driggs, who chairs Charlotte’s transportation committee, told the Observer the city will be “mindful” of public safety when crafting a new plan for the facility. Ideas include air-conditioned waiting areas and new retail options, he said.
“Whichever way we go, there will be an effort to ensure that people have tickets and don’t just hang out there,” he said.
Graham said the city is working with law enforcement and community partners on “meaningful and important” solutions to crime that address root causes, noting recent discussions by the City Council of public safety strategies.
He also called for more action at the state and federal levels to address “the proliferation of guns in our community.”
City leaders are “very aware” of concerns in uptown and taking them seriously, Driggs said. He pointed to support for increased hiring by CMPD, increased CMPD activity in uptown and Center City Partners’ efforts to recruit the private sector to invest in security.
“It’s almost a feeling more than a data-driven thing,” Driggs said. “But you don’t want that feeling to take hold in your uptown.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
