CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte neighborhood is shaken up after a shoot-out Monday night led to several stray bullets hitting occupied homes.
A police report says a home invasion on Statesville Avenue just north of Uptown lead to several shots fired Monday night. Neighbors told WCNC Charlotte it’s a miracle no one was hurt but they fear shootings are becoming too common in the Queen City.
Homeowner Tiffany Schreiber told WCNC Charlotte she was watching a movie Monday night with her fiancé when they heard several shots fired outside their house.
“Then, one of the bullets came through our window like right above where we were sitting and so then [my fiancé] was just like, 'Get down on the ground,'” Schreiber recalled.
Schreiber said her neighborhood, Brightwalk near Camp North End, is usually quiet with no issues. However, a home invasion in the apartments across from her house led to a shoot-out, according to police.
Schreiber said she feared for her life and is still on edge several days later. At least five bullets hit her home and shattered the glass doors in front and behind her house.
Several other houses and cars were also hit.
Schreiber said the damage will cost around $35,000 to fix but what bothers her the most is the troubling trend of gun violence in Charlotte.
“The response that I've been getting is, ‘Oh, it's so common. Oh, it's a common occurrence,’ but it's not common to me and it shouldn't be," Schreiber said.
The latest crime statistics from CMPD show violent crime was down 6% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same time last year, but homicides were up 26%.
Crime mapping around Schreiber’s neighborhood shows there have been 204 reports of assaults, weapons, and homicides in that area this year.
"I think a lot of times persons who are using gun violence really are not aware of the impact," Reverend Glencie Rhedrick with the Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice said.
Rhedrick told WCNC Charlotte that part of the solution to gun violence is teaching children and young adults conflict resolution skills.
"How to have that conversation, how to use your words to diffuse a situation and not take action," she explained.
Above all, Rhedrick said communities need to find ways to discuss the value of human life and the consequences of violence. She suggested using town hall meetings and church services as a method to hold those conversations.
Schreiber said she feels lucky no one was hurt in the shooting and hopes her story will help spark change in the Queen City.
WCNC Charlotte has asked CMPD for suspect information and if there have been any arrests in this case and is waiting to hear back.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.