Man accused of shooting at others in Romare Bearden Park claimed self defense
A 19-year-old accused of firing a gun at a group of men in an uptown park Saturday night told police he was acting in self-defense, according to Mecklenburg County court records.
Darnell Rashawn Harris, of Charlotte, was charged with discharging a firearm in the city and possession of marijuana after he told police he fired at the men after they pulled guns on him at Romare Bearden Park.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police affidavit said officers responded to a call at 10:27 p.m. about shots fired in the area. Officers saw a group of teenagers running away from the park and then “heard shots being fired 10 seconds later,” the affidavit said.
Officers spoke to Harris after he walked away from the scene while talking on his phone, the affidavit said. Harris told police he was with his friends at the park, located on Church Street, when a group of men approached them, pulling out guns.
Harris said he grabbed his friend’s gun and fired shots, the affidavit said. The group of men ran away.
Police found the gun, a brown Palmetto State Armory handgun, in the bushes in front of a Chipotle restaurant on South Tryon Street, close to where Harris was walking, the affidavit said.
Harris was released from the Mecklenburg County jail after posting a $5,000 bond.
Focus on uptown shootings
Uptown residents have called the area’s safety into question after several shootings this year have left people severely injured or dead.
In July, one person was killed and five were injured in a shooting near Encore Nightclub on North College Street. A 16-year-old and two men were charged.
In September, Jahday Humphrey was fatally shot in the afternoon at The Alley at Latta Arcade on Brevard Court. Police arrested a man in the shooting.
And on Sept. 25, an ambulance was struck by gunfire after a man was accused of firing at another person during an argument. No one was injured, but two men were charged in the shooting.
