‘Deeply troubled’: Mayor Vi Lyles releases statement on recent crime in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — Mayor Vi Lyles issued a statement on the recent crime in Charlotte on Twitter Saturday morning.

“I am deeply troubled and saddened at the homicides that have been occurring in our city,” Lyles said. “My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the victims, and I want them to know our community stands with them during this difficult time.”

The statement comes after a violent week in Charlotte. Leon Mack, 71, was shot and killed in Uptown on Friday morning. Just a day earlier, according to a police report, three people were hurt in a shooting that also took place in Uptown. A passenger was shot and killed while in a car on Billy Graham Parkway in southwest Charlotte last Sunday.

Several other shootings have occurred across the city. On Saturday, a person was hurt in a shooting on North Graham Street in north Charlotte.

Channel 9 has counted at least 13 homicides within Charlotte in 2023. Lyles said that local law enforcement is working hard to hold people responsible.

“I assure you our law enforcement officials are working diligently to investigate each incident and hold those responsible accountable. These senseless acts of violence are unacceptable and have no place in Charlotte,” Lyles said.

In 2022, more than 100 lives were lost to violence on Charlotte streets. Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz learned last month that the department investigated more homicides in 2022 than the year before.

CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said violent crime is down in Charlotte by about 5%, but homicides continue to be a problem in a city where so many are still grieving. 110 people were killed in Charlotte in 2022 -- a 10% increase in homicides from 2021.

Lyles said the city will work with community members to create a safe environment.

“The city will continue to work with our partners in the community and expand programs such as Alternatives to Violence to create a safe and secure community for all, where every individual feels valued, respected and protected,” Lyles said.

The full statement from Lyles is below.

“I am deeply troubled and saddened at the homicides that have been occurring in our city. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the victims, and I want them to know our community stands with them during this difficult time.

I assure you our law enforcement officials are working diligently to investigate each incident and hold those responsible accountable. These senseless acts of violence are unacceptable and have no place in Charlotte.

The city will continue to work with our partners in the community and expand programs such as Alternatives to Violence to create a safe and secure community for all, where every individual feels valued, respected and protected.”

Channel 9′s Glenn Counts took a deeper dive into what parts of town or patrol divisions have the worst problem when it comes to homicides.

Counts focused on the two high-profile homicides of CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera and grandmother Karen Baker in 2022.

Rivera was fatally shot in the Central Division, which is tied for the safest area in the city with only three homicides, according to Counts.

However, Baker was killed at an ATM in the University Area, which is tied to at least 15 homicides.

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