CHARLOTTE — After a string of violence in the northwest Charlotte area surrounding Beatties Ford Road, the community came together to bring solutions.
[ READ MORE: 1 shot, killed by officer in west Charlotte, CMPD says ]
Charlotte City Councilmember Malcolm Graham pointed out that property owners allow illegal activity to happen, and that needs to stop if the area is going to get safer.
“We want to plan for our growth and our future. We want residents of this community to be part of the change and not victims of it. And today, we begin to plant the seeds for growth.”
This comes on the heels of a violent incident where an officer shot a man at the Mini-Mart on Beatties Ford Road on Thursday.
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CMPD says Tim Moore was engaging in a drug activity when officers confronted him. Police say he ran away and pointed a gun in their direction, so they shot him.
Moore was taken into custody after being released from the hospital. His aunt says he struggles with mental health, and police should have recognized him from previous encounters.
A local anti-violence group working to help people like Moore in the area said the city should try to prevent these instances before they have to react to them.
“There’s other means to deal with this population, especially a young man that you know has severe mental health issues, have cognitive disabilities,” Leondra Garrett, site supervisor for Alternatives to Violence. “We have to give people something to do besides stand at the store, drink all day, use drugs.”
Moore now faces charges for communicating threats and assault with a deadly weapon.
(WATCH: Family pleads for accountability after charges dropped in 17-year-old’s death)
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