CHARLOTTE — It’s been six years since a mass shooting stole the lives of four people in Charlotte; now, a major announcement from Raleigh could finally help lead to some answers.
Gov. Josh Stein’s office on Monday announced a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the block party shooting that killed 39-year-old Jamaa Cassell, 28-year-old Christopher “CJ” Gleaton, 31-year-old Dairyon Stevenson, and 29-year-old Kelly Miller.
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“We’re excited that the governor’s office has this reward program that allows us to get additional funds to be able to get more information about what happened on Juneteenth in 2020,” said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson.
Patterson sat down with Channel 9’s Erica Bryant to share how Gov. Stein just raised the profile and the reward money for this case.
“This $25,000 reward is going to enable us, hopefully, to have people come forward,” Patterson said.
Hundreds had gathered at a block party along Beatties Ford Road when bullets started flying. It’s all captured in surveillance video from nearby businesses and recordings on cellphones, and witnesses were everywhere.
Despite the evidence, the crime remains unsolved, and police need more tips.
“We’re telling people, please be brave, be courageous, come forward, share any information that you have,” Patterson said. “And again, our detectives do such a fantastic job of taking small leads and being able to solve cases. So any information that anybody may know that they can bring forward with, I’m sure we can do something with it.”
Something that could identify who killed Cassell, Gleaton, Miller, and Stevenson.
“What do you want to say to the family members of the victims?” Bryant said.
“I know that those families are hurting and they want to know what happened. I think they deserve to know,” Patterson said. “So to the families of the victims, we want them to know that we have not forgotten you. We know this case happened six years ago, but it’s still one that is at the top of our priority to try to determine who did this.”
Patterson reiterated the need for the community’s help, and she’s hopeful that the reward will turn up new evidence.
“Our detectives are working around the clock, but we need the public’s help. I think we’ve exhausted as much information that we have,” Patterson said. “We need people to come forward and to tell us what occurred. But for the families, we want you to know that we’re not going to stop. We’re going to continue to work on this case until we figure out who is responsible for this heinous crime.”
If you have information on the case, you’re urged to call CMPD at 704-336-7600 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919-662-4500.