Citizen group vows to do their part in light of Charlotte homicide spike

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Residents in Charlotte are taking action against violent crime plaguing their city.

So far in 2017, there have been 21 homicides in the Queen City -- triple the number from the time last year.

Officers at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are working to solve those crimes, but on Saturday, a small group of citizens came together, vowing to do their part.

"It hurts to know that it has tripled from last year to this year," said Shelton Morris.

Morris, frustrated with the mounting number of homicides in the city he loves, brought his friends together Saturday in hopes of making a difference.

"If we stand against this together, as one, we can fight against these things and come up with solutions," he told Channel 9.

On Friday, Channel 9 was there as police investigated the city’s latest homicide, in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Prospect Drive.

[READ MORE: Police identify man shot to death in Charlotte's 21st homicide of 2017]

Police said 28-year-old Michael Xavier Morris was shot and killed.

Just two days earlier, 18-year-old Tyshaud Brown, a student at West Meck High School, was found shot to death behind an elementary school.

[READ MORE: Teen shot to death behind school posts video of final moments]

"It hurt deeper than I can express," Morris said.

He and his friends have formed the “Dream Team for Peace,” and plan to host an event for late April to connect people on the streets with jobs and housing and to meet their needs, hoping it will deter them from engaging in violent crime.

They'll also go out into neighborhoods as teams, connecting regularly with people who need help to get on the right track.

"Bringing them into connection and finding out what they need. A lot of times we assume they need something without asking them what they need,” said Morris.

Police have said it will take a community effort to turn the crime problem around.

There will be a candlelight vigil Sunday evening for Brown. It will begin at 7:45 p.m. at Camp Green Park, across from Phillip O. Berry High School.

Cox Media Group