Police investigate after shots fired at popular South End bagel shop

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are investigating after shots were fired at Owen's Bagel & Deli off South Boulevard in South End.

They said someone shot into the business around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday while employees were inside.

Channel 9 spoke with Jarrell Waddell, one of the employees who was there at the time.

"To me it sounded like crashing dishes, um, so I wasn’t sure at first. I looked over and saw it and was like 'Oh, there are holes in the window,'" he said.

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Waddell said the store wasn't open yet. He and another employee were not hurt, but bullets did hit Waddell's car, before going through a window and hitting a refrigerator.

The store reopened Wednesday after it shut down all Tuesday out of concern for the employees and the investigation.

"Many people are asking about the condition of the team, and not necessarily the condition of the building," said Waddell.

Channel 9 pulled Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department crime records within a half a mile of Owen's Bagel to get a sense of crime in the area. Since September 1, 2018, 106 crimes were reported, including 26 for larceny, and two reports for aggravated assaults involving a gun. There were also 16 reported fraud cases, 18 reports for a suspicious person, four for auto theft,  six for vandalism, four reports for commercial burglary, and one report for a strong armed robbery.

Scott Harth works at Living Kitchen, a business located across the street in the Atherton Mill. He said, "People want to feel safe about where they are dining."

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Waddell said the store will move on. He added that it’s their customers who are giving them the love they need right now.

"We received countless phone calls. We’ve had to take the phone off the hook because our customers were reaching out. People calling my personal phone saying 'Hey, Jarrell, you OK?'"

In 2015, a car took out the back wall, which kept the restaurant closed for three months. The store's owner said they got through that, so they are definitely going to get through this. She said the response from the community has been overwhelming.

Police said they are looking for surveillance video to try to identify a suspect. The police report says the case has been assigned to domestic violence, but they have not said what could have been the motive behind the shooting.

Cox Media Group