Police investigate Charlotte's first homicide of 2012

None — Charlotte's first homicide of 2012 happened just hours into the new year.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Brandon Covington, 19, died Sunday afternoon at Carolinas Medical Center.

Covington was shot at about 2 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Club Backstage on East WT Harris Boulevard, police said. Officers said he had been shot in the head.

Police working as event security said they were attempting to clear the parking lot when they heard the gunfire.

DJ False I-D was working at the club when he heard the shots out in the parking lot. The DJ said it was a relatively festive night that turned tragic in a hurry.

"Everything was pretty cool, it was just a party," the DJ said. "I guess outside some folks just got out of hand."

Covington was taken to CMC Main with life-threatening injuries and later died.

Once Covington was identified as the victim, the DJ realized he knew him. Covington was the sister of one of the DJ's good friends. "She's heartbroken. She's very hurt right now, obviously."

The crime cast a shadow over what Charlotte-Mecklenburg police described as a succesful New Year's Eve in the city. In the Uptown area, there were 30 arrests made for mostly minor crimes. On New Year's Eve last year, police made 50 arrests in the same area.

In comparing homicide statistics, there were 55 murders in the Queen City last year. That was the lowest total since 1988 when there were 45 murders.

Officers were interviewing witnesses. They told Eyewitness News they do not have any suspects right now.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a Homicide Unit Detective.

WSOC