CHARLOTTE — Police found a man dead after a crash in south Charlotte over the weekend, but it turned out he had also been shot.
Now, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old have been charged with murder in the case.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating what happened Saturday morning. The crash happened just after midnight off of James Blakeney Avenue, near Rea Road. According to CMPD, officers responded to the crash and found a man inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound. MEDIC said the man died at the scene.
On Tuesday, CMPD said a 17-year-old was arrested and charged with murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling. The suspect wasn’t immediately identified.
On Friday, the police department said 18-year-old Sanjie A’Nee Johnson was arrested and charged with murder and shooting into an occupied property. It’s not clear how Johnson knew the victim.
Video captures suspects
Channel 9′s Glenn Counts got a doorbell camera video that caught the gunfire.
In the video, you can see three men walk up to a white Jeep. After a few short moments, a shot is fired, and the driver tries to speed away before crashing head-on into a tree.
Then, about four or five suspects can be seen running back to their car and driving out of the neighborhood.
“We never thought something like this could happen here,” said one neighbor who didn’t want their face shown.
[ ALSO READ >> CMPD: Shooting at NoDa recording studio leaves 1 dead, another hurt ]
A lot of neighbors told us they heard the shot and they’re stunned by the violence. Several neighbors ran to the spot to try and help the victim, but he died at the scene.
“It’s very surprising, very devastating that it’s so close to home,” said Max Murphy, a neighbor.
Remaining questions
This browser does not support the video element.
Police said on Monday the victim was an 18-year-old man named Zackary Rieken. Channel 9 learned he’s from Waxhaw and recently attended Cuthbertson High School.
According to public records, Rieken lived about 20 minutes away from the post where the shooting happened.
Some who live nearby say after this, they’ll make safety a priority.
“We do definitely feel like we have to take some extra measures day and night; stay alert about our surroundings and who is roaming around here,” one neighbor said.
“Completely throws you for a loop,” Candice Cox told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon on Monday. “I need those facts to really know if my family is safe.”
Neighbors asked why Rieken and the others were on the street, and why the shooting happened.
“No one deserves to be killed, no matter what they have done or what they are doing, no one,” said Debra Duffy.
(VIDEO: Fire damages Red Bridges Barbecue in Shelby)
This browser does not support the video element.