CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The scene of a southwest Charlotte shopping center turned chaotic Tuesday morning when a fight in the parking lot escalated to a shooting and several parked cars got banged up in the process.
One man is injured and at least one man was arrested. Neel Jadeja was working in Berewick Town Center when it happened.
“There were customers inside the store and you could hear them screaming because it was their vehicles that got hit,” Jadeja said. “By the time I came outside, I saw the altercation with the two young gentlemen.”
In a video Jadeja recorded you can see the two men pressed against a green SUV and one of them has a gun. Eventually, the two men separate, and one stumbles away injured.
Charlotte Fire Fighter Michael Cunningham happened to be in the parking lot getting lunch when the shooting happened. In the video, you see him pull the victim away to safety. The Charlotte Fire Department said Cunningham called 911 and helped until assistance arrived. He also made sure witnesses stayed out of harm’s way.
While the firefighter was helping the victim, the video shows another man running up to the green SUV and grabbing a gun. He fires several shots toward the hotel around the corner.
Dozens of people like Kelly Mudgett were steps away from the bullets flying.
“They were both in the same vehicle and then they got out of the vehicle and started fighting and a gun was pulled,” Mudgett said. “We started hearing shots fired and we ran back inside but we were still watching through the window.”
Mudgett was inside of the hair salon getting a haircut and could hear the victim yelling for help.
“I felt so bad that he was screaming ‘he’s trying to kill me’ but at the same time what do you do in that situation?” Mudgett said.
Police swarmed the area and witnesses said at least one suspect was arrested. Detectives combed the scene looking for evidence for several hours. Even after the cars were towed away and the scene was clear…some said the impact of gun violence won’t go away.
“This is affecting a lot of people in a lot of ways they weren’t expected and it’s going to last,” Jadeja said.