Fight led to shooting on light rail train in south Charlotte, police say

CHARLOTTE — Police said a man was taken to the hospital after a shooting early Wednesday morning on a light rail train in south Charlotte.

The shooting happened on the train around 5:30 a.m. along Old Pineville Road near South Boulevard.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department held a news conference hours after the shooting where officers said a fight between two men is what led to the gunfire.

According to police, the men got into a scuffle on the train and one of them pulled out a gun and fired multiple times, hitting the other.

“One of those persons had physically attacked the other, and during that attack the person who was being attacked pulled out a firearm and fired multiple shots at the person who was being beat up on him,” CMPD said at the conference.

The man who was shot was taken to the hospital with injuries, but is expected to be OK, police said.

Passengers on board told Channel 9 that they saw the argument unfold on the blue line train between the two men. They didn’t say where it happened on the train, but crime scene investigators have placed evidence markers near the front set of doors.

According to passengers, once they heard the gunshots, the train stopped, CMPD arrived and they were told to get off.

Police said the gunman stayed at the scene after the shooting and is fully cooperating with investigators. Detectives are trying to determine if the shots were fired in self defense.

No additional details have been released.

Return to this story for updates.

(WATCH: Mom of man charged in toddler’s drive-by shooting death: ‘I apologize to the family’)

Mom of man charged in toddler’s drive-by shooting death: ‘I apologize to the family’

©2021 Cox Media Group