Local

$15,000 reward offered after woman picking up granddaughter killed in crossfire

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are offering a reward to help find the person responsible for the shooting death of a woman picking up her granddaughter from a party last Saturday night in north Charlotte.

The shooting happened on 28th Street off North Tryon Street.

Wilma Petty, 63, dropped her granddaughter off in Delihay Courts for the birthday party earlier Saturday night.

She came back at 10 p.m. and that was when she was hit and killed by a stray bullet. Police do not believe she was the intended target.

“She just happened to pull up and in a split second,” friend Robert Gaddy said. “And when we walked back out, she was just lying there.”

There have been no arrests in the case.

“This wasn’t normal,” Gaddy said. “This was totally senseless. It was a senseless act, and we need all the help we can get.”

Lisa Crawford, with the group Mothers of Murdered Offspring, said she is tired and frustrated.

“I am so tired,” she said. “I don’t know what else to say. No one is listening.”

Petty’s murder was Charlotte’s 67th homicide of 2020. There has been another killing since Petty’s murder, bringing that number to 68. Last year at this time, there were 62 homicides.

Crawford said she isn't counting deaths. She's counting lives.

“And these are not just murders, these are people,” Crawford said. “These are living, breathing mothers and grandmothers and fathers and brothers, and they have lives and dreams, and then they have nothing.”

Police are offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case.

Officials said any information left with Crime Stoppers is anonymous and the caller does not have to leave their name, contact information and they do not need to testify in court.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for more information.