Police: Man shot in face over $20

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man who was shot in the face at his house over $20 is recovering at a hospital tonight, but the trigger man is still on the run.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police said Mathew Hawkins was shot on a property he was renovating on E. 17th Street, in the Belmont neighborhood, Tuesday afternoon.

Police said the robber came into the house and demanded money. Hawkins reached in his pocket to get the money when the robber shot him in the eye. Police said his wife was in the house at the time of the shooting.

Afterwards, Hawkins was rushed to Carolina's Medical Center for emergency surgery. Crime scene investigators searched for the gunman by land and air. They even called in their K-9 units to help. Neighbors said they didn't see what happened but they heard it.

"I was in the house and I heard shots so I came outside, and I saw a whole bunch of police officers rushing down here," said Ishenika Bailey.

People who live in the Belmont community said Hawkins recently bought the house and had been working on renovating it for the past six months. It was a job they said he did alone.

"He was just a good man, and he never bothered anybody," said Beverly Pumpkin.

Other people said they've never seen anyone mess with Hawkins while he was working on the house. That's why they believe that whoever shot him must not be from around there.

The house is one of eight properties Hawkins owns in the Charlotte area. The house he lives in is located in South Charlotte. Neighbors said he's lived there with his wife for about three years.

"It just breaks my heart; it makes me want to cry. He has a five- or six-year-old son. All I can do is pray for them," said neighbor Karen Cira.

The suspect is described as a black man who fled from the scene on foot, wearing a bandanna. We checked to see if this shooting is gang-related and police said it's not. So far there are no suspects or arrests.

WSOC