CHARLOTTE — If you’re heading to Uptown to celebrate New Year’s this year, you can expect to see plenty of security.
CMPD Lieutenant Crystal Fletcher says her department is ready to make sure everyone celebrating 2025 will start the year safe.
“We are going into New Year’s Eve confident that it will be a safe and secure environment for everybody,” she said.
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Last year’s New Year’s Eve was filled with chaos. Daevion Crawford shot 5 people in Romare Bearden Park. CMPD says 3 officers were injured. 18 people were arrested or cited.
Center City Partners says the event is not being moved because of last year’s shooting. But all guests who attend this year’s crown lighting will have to go through security. It will also cost $10 to attend. It will be part of the baseball team’s Light the Knights festival.
[ READ MORE: Charlotte NYE shooter sentenced ]
“The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is fully committed to ensure a safe and enjoyable celebration for all attendees in Uptown,” she said.
Lt. Fletcher says there will be plenty of officer, on bikes, motorcycles and spread throughout Romare Bearden Park. Officers also paid a visit to the parents of frequent teen offenders to warn them to keep an eye on their children. Last year because of the chaos, CMPD cited 7 parents with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. But the DA dropped all those charges and Crawford could get out in as few as 8 months for the shooting.
When asked if that is enough of a deterrent, Fletcher declined to directly comment.
“I appreciate your question and my response to that question is we, CMPD, did our job,” she said. “We were able to identify the suspect quickly and we were able to take him into custody quickly. So at that point, we’ve done what we were supposed to do.”
The Mecklenburg County DA cited “insufficient evidence” as the reason for the dismissal.
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