Teen sentenced in deadly shooting of another teen in north Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — A 16-year-old pleaded guilty in court Thursday to killing another teen in north Charlotte.

Channel 9′s crime reporter Hunter Sáenz was in that courtroom for the tragic case -- it’s a tragedy on both sides.

The 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. He was just 14 when he shot and killed another teenager in September 2021. He was part of a group that robbed a delivery driver and stole his car with the driver’s pistol inside.

The next day, he used that stolen car and gun to fire shots at three people in north Charlotte, killing 16-year-old Jaylen Foster. Foster’s family set up a GoFundMe page after his death to help his family with funeral costs.

Lucille Puckett is an activist who works to prevent gun violence, which is something she herself has lost a child to.

“They never will see their son again,” she said.

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She’ll admit solutions are hard, but says we have to start somewhere.

“If we see our young people out here on the street, we can’t be afraid to interact with them,” Puckett said.

She said this particular case is tragic on both sides; one teen dead and another going to prison once he turns 18. His defense attorney said other older people were in the car shooting with him on that day.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the case is closed.

Puckett believes the teen is taking the fall for others.

“How much did he really play a part of this?” she asked.

Regardless, she’s hopeful he gets the support in jail that he needs.

“When he gets out, is he going to be better rehabbed or a better criminal?” she asked.

The teen was sentenced Thursday to at least 10 years in prison for second-degree murder and at least four and a half more for robbing that delivery driver. He’ll stay in juvenile jail until he’s 18 and then transfer to prison.

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