CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 16-year-old is charged with murder in connection with the killing of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student in northwest Charlotte in early February, police say.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say 17-year-old Melakah Corbette was found shot to death in a neighborhood just off Beatties Ford Road in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. At the time, detectives said they didn't believe the shooting to be a random act.
On Monday, CMPD announced it had arrested a 16-year-old in connection with Corbette's death. The suspect, who hasn't been identified due to his age, was charged with murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon following an interview with homicide detectives.
Youth violence has been an ongoing problem in Charlotte. CMPD reported a 34% increase in the number of juvenile suspects who were arrested last year compared to 2022. Additionally, 108 underage people were named as suspects in shootings, which was a 33% increase from the year before.
CMPD says many underage suspects are racking up multiple charges because they aren't being held on secure custody orders. Instead, many of those suspects are being released back to family. In January 2024, CMPD highlighted three suspects who accumulated 122 total charges, including a 15-year-old who faces 48 charges, including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
"It is so frustrating," Chief Johnny Jennings said. "We have a lot of great men and women out there doing a lot of investigative work and solving crimes and trying to bring closure to victims regularly. When you have that, the only result that they see coming out of it is to release that young man or that young woman back into that same environment, simply so they could go back and re-offend. That is what I talk about the frustration with law enforcement is that our officers cannot continue to play that catch and release and simply deal with the same issues over and over again."
No further information was released by detectives. The investigation remains active, according to CMPD. Anyone with information is asked to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Witnesses may also call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly with CMPD homicide detectives. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
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