CHARLOTTE — What began as a senior skip day gathering in University City turned violent Tuesday when gunfire broke out at the Leslie Square shopping center, leaving a 17-year-old girl seriously hurt and another teen injured after being hit by a car during the chaos, according to police.
Channel 9’s Miana Massey spoke with witnesses who were there when the gunfire began at the Leslie Square shopping center at Harris Houston Road at University City Boulevard.
“I was on the ground, ducking myself,” said a witness. “Just a lot of commotion. I saw a young lady stretched out on the ground from being hit by a vehicle. Kids running. Frantic, you know, from the shots.”
A 17-year-old girl from Julius Chambers High School was shot and taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to a police report.
Another teen was hit by a car.
Neighbors said that panic sent people running into the streets and nearby businesses.
Video from social media shows the moments before the shooting when dozens of teens gathered in the parking lot.
A witness said it was the second or third shooting in the area.
“Kids have to be kids, but at the same time, life is very valuable,” the witness said. “The value of life seems like it’s diminishing, and so it’s just more reckless behavior.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is continuing its investigation into the incident.
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