West Charlotte restaurant workers find man shot dead in parking lot

CHARLOTTE — Employees at a west Charlotte restaurant found a man shot dead in their parking lot Thursday morning, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.

Police said the man was found with a gunshot wound around 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot of a Bojangles on West Trade Street. Police believe he had died some time earlier.

CMPD Maj. Ryan Butler spoke Thursday about what he called “senseless violence.”

“We’re talking about somebody’s brother, somebody’s uncle, somebody’s cousin, somebody’s friend; whether they’re from Charlotte or not from Charlotte, none of those matters. What matters is bringing the resolution to the family member and bringing justice,” Butler said.

Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with employees who said they did not hear any gunshots when they clocked in. They also said they didn’t see the man on the ground in the parking lot.

Police said they are speaking to several witnesses, as well as reviewing surveillance footage. They hope the fact that it happened in a busy area -- just off Interstate 77 and across from a gas station -- will help their investigation.

“We are fortunate that it’s a commercial area, several cameras here,” Butler said. “We are also extremely fortunate in locating several witnesses at some of the businesses and talking to individuals that live in nearby communities.”

Calvin Howell lives in the area and said he often stops at that gas station close by.

“This is a pretty rough area, Beatties Ford. It’s gotten better over the years but it’s still kind of rough,” he told Channel 9′s Evan Donovan. “It don’t surprise me -- I hate to hear it -- but it really don’t surprise me because you hear about a lot of violent things that happen in this area a lot.”

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