Violent Crimes Grab Attention Of Police, Uptown Visitors

A recent rash of crime in uptown Charlotte has some people worried it's becoming a trend.

In the last few weekends, there's been a deadly double shooting, two Johnson & Wales University students robbed at gunpoint, another shooting and a bar fight.

The crimes are not related, but they are troubling, said some people who work uptown.

"I work with a girl who lives uptown and she's mentioned it, and she says it makes her really nervous," said Brenda Adaline, who works uptown.

Capt. Jeff Estes with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said because bars, condos and restaurants are popping up everywhere in uptown, more people are coming to the center city. He said the Central Division has the lowest crime rate in the entire city, and this year, it's dropped even more.

Through September of this year, violent crime in Central Division is down 11 percent. Property crime is down 8 percent.

But Estes said these recent crimes are on police’s radar.

"When something like this happens, like the incidents in the last few weeks, we do take special notice. In a way, it's a good thing, because it keeps us accountable. This is a safe place and we want to keep it that way," said Capt. Estes.