Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating a deadly assault in north Charlotte.

Police said they received a call around 7 a.m. from a clerk at the 7-Eleven convenience store at the Shell station on the corner of Dalton Avenue and North Tryon Street.

The clerk said the man had come inside, saying he had been assaulted.

When MEDIC and police arrived, they found Robert Myers, 48, dead inside.

Police believe Myers was attacked off property and marked a trail of blood and other evidence up North Tryon Street with dozens of evidence markers.

Surveillance video from a nearby business seems to show a similar path. In the upper part of the screen, a figure appears to run from left to right into the store.

Myers was arrested in February on panhandling and trespassing charges, and Eyewitness News is told he may have spent time at some of the shelters in the area.

Police have not said how or why he was attacked.

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"It's a tragedy in itself," community organizer Arnold Kinney said. Kinney, who is a part of the Lockwood Development Committee, said he and other neighbors have started meeting weekly and talking with officers about how to make the area safer.

"This is a step backwards but we're going to continue to move forward," he said. "It definitely causes you to take a look at yourself, what you can do, and look at the community and also the neighborhood."

Brown said he would like to think the area is improving but said he's shocked this could happen just before he arrived at work.

"Are we really safe out here? Just trying to run a business and make an honest dollar," he said.

Police have not revealed any information about who they might be looking for as a suspect.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 704-432-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.