CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As east Charlotte continues to reckon with Monday's deadly shooting along Galway Avenue, three community groups offered a chance for neighbors to join together with a prayer vigil.
An interfaith prayer vigil was held at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening at Little Rock AME Zion Church, located at 401 North McDowell Street. A digital flyer for the vigil shared on Facebook showed it was being organized by the Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice, Union Presbyterian Seminary's Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation, and the Mecklenburg Metropolitan Interfaith Network (MeckMIN).
The vigil comes on the heels of the deadly shootout between law enforcement officers and a man they were trying to arrest. Four officers were killed in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect and four others were wounded. The suspect, who was being served a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, was also killed.
Monday's tragedy happened just more than 17 years after two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers died in the line of duty. The March 31, 2007 shooting claimed the lives of officers Jeff Shelton and Sean Clark while they tried to respond to a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex. That complex was located about a mile from where Monday's shooting unfolded.
Neighbors described watching the event unfold near their homes, some called it a war zone. Jay Chhoeun recalls the terrifying moments the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force, raced into his yard, taking cover behind a car.
“They said 'take cover, take cover,' so I went upstairs and five minutes later, seven minutes later, shots rang off,” he said
“Just go into autopilot and hit the floor,” Tyler Wilson, a neighbor, said.
East Charlotte has historically struggled with upward mobility. While this incident is isolated, recent crime has caught people's attention.
“This is a pocket that has been really neglected from the sense of a concentration of violence here.” Greg Asciutto, executive director, of CharlotteEAST, said.
CharlotteEAST is a non-profit dedicated to helping residents thrive. Asciutto says this event isn't an accurate representation of his community.
“It’s grief for the officers and their families," Asciutto said.
Now, many are calling for people to come together as they honor the heroes who sacrificed their lives.
“Things like this should never happen," Wilson said. "These guys are just doing their job. At the end of the day, they just want to do their job and go home like everyone else.”
“I’m thankful for the officers that risked their life," Chhoeun said.
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