CHARLOTTE — There were no injuries reported after Charlotte-Mecklenburg police fired shots at an armed man who they perceived was an imminent threat, Deputy Chief Coerte Voorhees said.
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On Thursday at around 5 p.m., a license plate reader identified a stolen car on Onyx Street near Beatties Ford Road in northwest Charlotte. Police tried to stop the car when the driver, later identified as Shaheem Covington, 18, ran away with a gun in his hand, CMPD said.
Officers were threatened and shot at the suspect, who then complied.
Covington was not struck by any rounds, according to police. He and three others were taken into custody. Police seized multiple guns.
On Friday, CMPD said Covington was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing to elude, and resisting officers. Two juveniles were charged with possession of a firearm by a minor. Officials said probable cause was not established for the third juvenile that was arrested, which is why that suspect was not charged.
Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke to neighbors who want to know where the bullets went since they didn’t hit a suspect or officers. Tracy Robinson said she is concerned because the bullets could have went into one of the homes on the street.
“There are children out here. We have elderly people. I live here. Bullets don’t have eyes,” she said.
Thomas Little said he was home at the time of the shooting and said his children were just getting home from school.
“We heard the shots, and we walked up here to see,” Little said. “I don’t know where the bullets went, but it’s a lot of kids on this street, though, to be shooting in this area. Like I said, the school bus just let the kids out.”
Channel 9 took the concerns to CMPD and asked Maj. Brad Koch about what happened on Onyx Street. He wouldn’t specifically talk about where those bullets went and instead talked about the proliferation of guns and the dangers officers face.
“You have to make those split second decisions,” Koch said. “What’s concerning is the number of firearms that people have out there, and, you know, that certainly plays a factor in our response.”
Neighbors said they deserve to know where the bullets went and want officers to be careful moving forward.
“They need to be careful because, like I said, there (are) a lot of kids in this neighborhood and a lot of people be walking and you never know when someone walks up,” Little said.
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Multiple officers are on administrative leave after the incident, which is standard.
“The SBI will not be taking this,” Voorhees said. “There was nobody injured, thank goodness, both on the officer side and the suspect side.”
Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.
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