CHARLOTTE — Gunfire erupted around 7:15 p.m. Friday at a west Charlotte business park that left two people dead, said officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The investigation was in the parking lot of the business park near the 700 block of Montana Drive, which is close to Interstate 85. Several events were going on at the time, which drew crowds, police said.
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Two people were dead after the shooting, paramedics said. One victim was found in Dodge Charger, and the other in the parking lot, police said.
CMPD later identified the victims as Shariff Oliphant, 23, and Trey Anthony McClendon, 21.
“Sharif had a daughter, a mother, brothers, sisters,” Oliphant’s mother said. “It’s just not fair. It’s not fair.”
She did not want to be identified.
A barbershop, day spa and other businesses are located in the building attached to the parking lot.
“There were several events going on,” CMPD Major Ryan Butler said. “There were several crowds of people. (We are) trying to determine what the relationship was with the events going on here, and the dispute that ultimately resulted in the two homicides we’re investigating now.”
Police and family members want someone with information to come forward.
“Say something,” Oliphant’s brother said. “Let the detectives know. Let us know. Just say something. We need to know what really happened. What happened to my brother?”
“I need to know what happened to my child,” his mother said. “It’s horrible trying to sleep at night. Just thinking about what happened. Why did it happen? Could it have been avoided? You just don’t know.”
“They took a piece of me, and we have to do something about this violence we really have to. I don’t know what can be done to get the guns off the streets. But something needs to be done, because it’s happening way too much in Charlotte.”
Another shooting was reported shortly before that on Remington Street close to Beatties Ford Road, which is about two miles away.
Our crew on-site could see one person injured at that scene. Paramedics said that person refused treatment. It is unclear if anyone was shot.
Police confirmed that the two shooting scenes were not connected.
#BREAKING Homicide detectives are on the scene of a murder off of Montana drive in NW Charlotte. A man on scene was just notified by police. He screamed out it’s his little brother. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/U2QnvrVYrU
— Genevieve Curtis (@GenevieveWSOC9) April 30, 2022
No further information has been released.
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(WATCH BELOW: Police: Person shot, killed in west Charlotte in the city’s 3rd homicide in 2 days)
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