HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Video captures hundreds taking over, performing burnouts, making sparks and firing off guns at Faith City Church in Huntersville over the weekend.
The senior pastor at that church says services are going to continue no matter what, but this issue is getting worse, and it’s just the latest place in that area to see this problem.
The church sent Channel 9 surveillance videos where you can hear shots and see flashes throughout.
One church member estimated up to 200 cars were there.
At one point in the videos, you can even see what appears to be a person with a machete making sparks on the ground.
“We are property owners and we deserve better,” said Senior Pastor Bishop Amere May Sr.
He said the aftermath of the incident is still around.
Bullet casings on the ground, and a fence post he says the people responsible knocked over to get into the parking lot. May says this is the fourth time a takeover has happened in his parking lot, and the second time since last Wednesday.
“I think this generation, all the kids, regardless of cultural persuasion, have just lost their minds,” he said.
May says he believes teens were responsible each time.
“It’s not just happening here. It’s happening in Birkdale and we who work well and educated our family, we just want to enjoy the weather. We want to enjoy life,” he said. “We don’t want to be getting shot at.”
We reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. They said North Division leadership has met with the church and the investigation is ongoing.
May says he wants more done to prevent gatherings like this from happening.
“We’ve given all we got,” he said. “And it’s like we’re sitting ducks because what do we do?”
It’s unclear right now if anyone is facing charges in connection to this.
May says the hope they have now is to buy an iron fence to surround the property that is harder to break down.
He says that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, something they don’t have right now.