1 shot, killed at northeast Charlotte convenience store

CHARLOTTE — Police say a suspect is in custody after a man was shot and killed at a food mart late Tuesday afternoon in northeast Charlotte.

Residents don’t feel safe after deadly shooting at apartment complex

Chopper 9 Skyzoom was over the Charlotte Fast Mart on Tom Hunter Road at Reagan Drive at about 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department had the area cordoned off with crime scene tape.

The victim, 53-year-old Ronnie Leon Ruth, died at the scene.

On Thursday, CMPD identified a suspect in the shooting. The department said Sharrieff Ellis Gray, 52, was charged with first-degree murder.

“It was a very quick entry, and just an immediate act of violence, and left the area,” said Maj. J.D. Thomas, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

There was not a robbery or assault that led up to it. The suspect just walked in and shot someone, Thomas said. The victim was not an employee, he said.

“We have a high likelihood of identifying the suspect due to the video quality,” Thomas said.

Increased patrols

Police looked for the suspect at the nearby Hunters Point apartments and told Channel 9 that is part of an increased presence approach called Core 13.

“We’re picking the areas where our call volume has been high, or we’ve had acts of violence recently,” Thomas said.

CMPD has moved into those high-crime zones on four-hour rotations.

“We immediately pulled officers from other spots, other places that we were concentrating in,” Thomas said.

Businesses have been investing in ways to deter crime, Thomas said.

“This area has had a lot of video upgrades, from grants and the businesses, themselves, actually putting money into upgrades,” Thomas said.

Earlier Tuesday, there was another deadly shooting about 1 mile away along at an apartment complex off West Arrowhead Road. The shootings were not connected.

It’s an unfortunate reality of the area around West Sugar Creek Road near Interstate 85.

“When you over here in this area, it’s like a jungle, you don’t know what might happen,” said someone in the area after the second shooting.

People in the area are exhausted.

“I do get tired of this but ain’t nothing you can do about it,” the resident said. “Only thing you can try to do is just mind your business, stay out the way.”

No additional details have been made available.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.