‘They’re babies’: CMPD, neighbors grapple with deadly shootings involving juveniles

CHARLOTTE — There have been 52 children under 18 years old who have been murdered in Charlotte since the beginning of 2020.

The latest deadly shooting happened Saturday when a 15-year-old was killed. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced Wednesday that detectives arrested and charged another 15-year-old juvenile in the homicide.

“I had been out to the grocery store and had just come in and heard the gunfire,” said Parkview resident Gwen Johnson.

She said the shooting happened next to a church and was worried that other children could have been in the area.

The victim in Saturday’s shooting was Shamareon McKinney.

[PAST COVERAGE: 15-year-old charged in murder of teen in west Charlotte shooting; another boy hurt]

“We won’t have any kids if we let them keep killing each other because every night we’re losing somebody -- every night,” Johnson said. “And they’re babies.”

CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings has been wrestling with teen violence since he stepped into the job last year.

“The frustration is very real when you have a month or two like we’ve had in Charlotte recently,” Jennings said.

Jennings said they’ve launched programs and worked with community groups to try to prevent scenes like the one that happened off Tuckaseegee Road Saturday, but it’s not enough.

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“No mother of a 15-year-old or 16-year-old should have to bury their son, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid,” Jennings said.

'Enough is enough': Juvenile shot, killed near Walmart in west Charlotte 'Enough is enough': Juvenile shot, killed near Walmart in west Charlotte

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