Story Update
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police identified two teens who were shot while attempting to rob a 7-Eleven in west Charlotte.
Qwanterrius Stafford, 16, died from his injuries. Brenna Harris, 17, was wounded. Both teens were shot by a 7-Eleven customer who was licensed to carry a gun.
Police said the teens had robbed the customer before he pulled a concealed weapon and opened fire.
Harris ran from the store and was later arrested. He was treated at a hospital then charged with attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and armed robbery from person. Mecklenburg jail records show Harris was arrested July 10 and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. He was released July 13 on a $5,000 bond.
***
A customer inside a 7-Eleven shot and killed a teenage robber and wounded a second teen suspect early today, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
The shooting happened shortly before 4 a.m. in the 4800 block of Brookshire Boulevard. Police said the customer, whose name was not made available to media, was licensed to carry a gun.
Police also did not immediately release the names or ages of the two teens.
Asked whether the customer might face criminal charges related to the shootings, Lt. Bryan Crum of CMPD’s violent crimes division said the investigation is in an early stage.
Police said the teens went to the 7-Eleven with an apparent intent to rob the business. Both were “masked up,” said Sgt. Brian Scharf of the robbery division.
According to police, immediately upon entering the store, one of the teens held a gun “within inches” of the customer’s face and demanded his belongings. The customer complied. The teen holding the gun then went to the store clerk and demanded money from the cash register.
“At that point, the patron…perceived an imminent and deadly threat and he fired his own legally carried weapon,” Scharf told reporters.
The teen holding the gun died at the scene, Scharf said. The second teen, who also was shot, ran from the store and was later arrested in the 1200 block of Saratoga Drive, more than a mile away.
Police said the teen who survived the shooting will be charged as an adult with one count of robbery and one count of attempted robbery. Other charges may follow, police said.
Scharf called the series of events “fairly uncommon.” He said the teens had no way of knowing that their intended target was armed.
“I believe in self-defense, but it’s not something we certainly like to see,” Scharf told reporters. “It happened, and everybody has to make their own decision whether their life is in danger or not.”
After CMPD completes its investigation, the department will ask the district attorney’s office to review CMPD’s findings, Crum said. “We’re investigating all aspects of this case,” he added.
The killing was Charlotte’s 70th homicide of 2019.
Less than 12 hours earlier, police were called to the 1500 block of West Boulevard to investigate an unrelated killing. Police identified that victim as 34-year-old Antonio Kirkpatrick.
Police said Kirkpatrick was shot just before 5 p.m. Wednesday outside of a business complex in west Charlotte. CMPD released no information relating to a suspect or motive.
Get the latest news delivered directly to your in-box. Sign up for our Morning Brew newsletter.
