Families of Beatties Ford 4 fight for justice 3 years after mass shooting

Erika Jackson,WSOCTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
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Families of four people are fighting for justice nearly three years after a mass shooting in west Charlotte.

READ MORE: 2 years after west Charlotte mass shooting, CMPD increases reward for information

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said on June 22, 2020, Kelly Miller, Christopher Gleaton, Jamaa Cassell, and Dairyon Stevenson were killed after a shooting broke out at a block party along Beatties Ford Road.

Officers said of the nine people shot that day, three of them died and a fourth died after being hit by a car.

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Three years later, no one has been arrested.

“They told me it would take a while, and I kind of thought maybe a year at the most, you know, but three years?” said Charles Billings, Cassell’s father.

Billings said he is frustrated at the lack of updates not only from police but about the continuing gun violence in the community.

“I will make it simple. A light bulb blows. What do you do? Change it. Don’t you? Don’t you think that it’s time to make a change?” Billings said.

There’s a $47,000 reward for information.

Anyone with a helpful tip should call Crime Stoppers.

The Million Youth March of Charlotte and Salisbury will hold an event this weekend to remember and honor The Beatties Ford 4. It’s the third annual Official Remembering the Beatties Ford 4 Day. It’s happening at noon on Saturday where the shooting took place, along Beatties Ford Road at Catherine Simmons Road.

The investigation

Police have shared surveillance video of multiple shooters firing more than 180 rounds into the crowd of about 400 people.

In October 2021, police arrested a convicted felon at a club, allegedly carrying a stolen gun. They later connected that gun to the shooing, but he was never tied to the shooting itself.

Channel 9 learned that the charges against him were dropped. The district attorney’s office said it was because the gun was recovered inside a car that was occupied by several people and that they were unable to do a DNA comparison. They didn’t believe there was enough evidence for success at trial.

That’s the most recent update Channel 9 has reported. Families of the victims said they rarely hear from investigators.

“I’m gonna keep talking to my son, praying, hoping that before I leave this earth, I hope God (gives) me that answer,” Billings said last year.

VIDEO: 2 years after west Charlotte mass shooting, CMPD increases reward for information