Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating a Sunday morning shooting on Freedom Drive that left 19-year-old James Demarel Hardrick II dead.
Hardrick’s younger brother, Marquiese Thompson, was shot and killed less than a year ago, also off Freedom Drive. No one has been arrested in that case.
Police this weekend did not speculate on any possible connection.
In the most recent shooting, officers responded to a 911 call for service shortly after 1:30 a.m. in reference to shots fired in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant.
When officers arrived, they found Hardrick inside his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to initial witness statements taken by police, Hardrick was shot after an altercation in the parking lot. The incident did not appear to be a random event, but rather the result of an ongoing dispute, police said.
Investigators are looking for a white Ford Expedition with a sunroof, driven by a black male. The vehicle was last seen heading inbound on Freedom Drive.
Thompson, Hardrick’s brother, was shot in the head Dec. 11. The Harding High School student was found lying in the middle of Westridge and Weststone drives, off Freedom Drive. He died the next day at Carolinas Medical Center.
In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, James Hardrick Sr., the father of both victims, said police had told him little about the latest killing.
“I’d been dealing with the loss of my other son all this time,” he was quoted as saying. “And now this.”
Anyone with information about either case is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a homicide detective. Detective S. Sarvis is the lead detective assigned to the Sunday homicide case. People with information also may call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
