Infant shot in Charlotte on same day as a fundraiser for a 7-year-old shooting victim
An infant was shot during a domestic dispute in Charlotte Saturday, according to multiple reports.
WBTV, The Charlotte Observer’s news partner, and WCNC reported that the 1-year-old was shot in the hand during a fight between two family members. The reports didn’t say how the two family members were related to the child.
The child is expected to be OK, WBTV reported.
Trejuan Coleman, 34, has been charged for the shooting, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police told the Observer on Monday. He was in possession of a stolen firearm and in violation of firearm by felon, police said.
Coleman is suspected of shooting into a vehicle — occupied by five people — on Isaac Hunter Drive in far northwest Charlotte, according to the police report. The report says an individual was struck, but doesn’t indicate if it was the baby.
On the same day the 1-year-old was shot, WCNC reported, a church group a few miles away was hosting a fish fry and car wash to raise money for the family of a 7-year-old who was also caught in the crossfire of a shooting near her home in March. She was hit in the chest and spent several days in the hospital before being released in April, WCNC reported previously.
The Observer previously reported that the shooting that injured her was related to another shooting that same day, nearby. Two teenagers were injured in that drive-by shooting. Police eventually arrested three men in their 20s for the shootings.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Maj. Brian Foley asked community members to be more willing to send the police tips about criminals — and to resolve fights without shooting at each other, The Observer reported.
“The inability of people to be able to solve conflicts is something that we have got to work together to resolve,” Foley said. “We’re asking for help.”
On Friday, The Observer reported that Charlotte has had 45 killings so far this year — 10 more than at this same time last year. Police expected at least some increase in crime this year since people are going out and interacting more due to COVID-19 restrictions ending, The Observer reported. But how much is yet to be seen.
Last week, Charlotte unveiled a new program to “hire and train community members from violence-stricken neighborhoods to try to stop violent acts before they happen and prevent recurrences,” The Observer reported.
Staff writer Jonathan Limehouse contributed to this story.
