Weekly News Roundup: It’s Too Damn Hot

All the Wrong Records

Every day of October 2019 so far has seen a record high temperature for Charlotte for that date. Friday marked the sixth straight day of a local record high, and eight of the last nine days have seen record highs. These are the most record-setting highs in that short a time span in 140 years of keeping records. As of Thursday, Charlotte is on pace for the warmest year on record with a mean average temperature of 66.8 degrees. 

We say all that to say this: This shit is fucking ridiculous. 

(P.S. We got all the above stats from the National Weather Service and Brad Panovich’s Twitter account. You really should follow Brad, not everything he posts is doom and gloom. We very much enjoyed the dust devil videos this week.)

Fire and Shooting in Uptown

Parts of Uptown filled with smoke on Monday afternoon after a fire started inside Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen on South College and East 5th streets and smoke poured from the vents. About 65 firefighters responded to the scene and were able to get the fire under control in about an hour.

Just before 4 p.m., just as the Charlotte Fire Department announced they had the fire under control, 911 received an unrelated call about a man who was shot less than a block away. MEDIC and CFD were able to reach the man almost instantly. They found 74-year-old John Holaday suffering from a gunshot wound. They administered first aid before transporting him to the hospital, where he was treated for life-threatening injuries. His current status is unclear. 

Holaday is a doctor and founder of DisposeRx, an organization that helps rid the world of unused prescription drugs, which are often abused. Police say Holaday was the accidental victim of a shooting that stemmed from a fight between a group of people at the nearby Epicentre.

Detectives later arrested 16-year-old Raheem Shacklette and charged him with attempted murder, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a minor. Three others ranging in age from 17 to 20 were arrested for simple affray in connection with the fight that led up to the shooting.

CMPD called a press conference on Tuesday to dispel notions that Uptown isn’t safe. There’s been an 8% increase in violent crime in CMPD’s Central Division this year as compared to this time last year, including seven homicides compared to just one last year, though homicides are up citywide.

Family Asks for Help in August Murder Near UNC Charlotte

The family of Christian Estes, a 19-year-old man killed in a quadruple shooting near the UNC Charlotte campus on Aug. 31, held a press conference on Thursday calling for anyone with information about his murder to come forward. 

Christian’s mother Latoya Woodward stood next to a picture of her son and called the August shooting, “something that you could never think of what happen to your child.” She said that, despite not knowing who murdered her son, she has already forgiven the killer, though she wants them to come forward to face justice. 

“The streets do not care about you, only God cares about you,” Woodward said to the news cameras, speaking to her son’s killer. 

The shooting occurred at a party at the 49 North apartment complex. CMPD responded to a call at an apartment there during a party just before 1 a.m. on Aug. 31 and found Estes suffering from a gunshot wound in front of the apartment and two women with gunshot wounds behind the apartment. All three victims were taken to the hospital, where Estes later died. A fourth victim was later brought to the hospital by friends. 

Police ask that anyone with information about the shooting call 704-342-TIPS and ask speak to a homicide detective.

Man Killed in Bizarre Incident in North Charlotte

Police are still investigating the reasons why a man was killed during an incident that began at a 7-Eleven in north Charlotte and ended with his death on I-85 early Friday morning. CMPD and North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to a call near the entrance ramp to I-85 at West Sugar Creek Road at around 1:45 a.m. Friday and found 48-year-old Willie Corry Jr. dead on the interstate, with many questions left unanswered.

After finding Corry’s body, detectives found a silver 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis down an embankment between the entrance ramp and Reagan Drive. Further investigation led detectives to a nearby 7-Eleven on West Sugar Creek Road and found that the victim had been at the gas station when the incident occurred.

Witnesses said that when Corry entered the store, the Mercury began to back out of its parking space, at which time he ran out and grabbed the passenger side door of the car and held onto the car’s exterior. The driver then drove out of the parking lot with Corry still holding onto the car, then got onto I-85, at which time Corry lost his grasp on the car and was killed. Police searched the area with K-9 units for the driver or any other potential occupants, but found no one. 

Man Killed Off South Boulevard Charlotte’s Latest Homicide Victim

One man was killed in Charlotte last week, bringing the total number of homicides in the city this year to 82. 

Police responded to a shooting call at a strip mall at the intersection of Sharon Lakes Drive and South Boulevard at 4:41 p.m. on Thursday and found 33-year-old Alonzo Parker in the parking lot, dead of a gunshot wound. No one has yet been arrested for his murder.