Charlotte-Mecklenburg police identified the man suspected of fatally shooting Jahday Humphrey Thursday outside Latta Arcade on Brevard Court, where business owners claim violent crime has spiraled out of control.
According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department detectives, the gunfire resulted from an argument between Humphrey and Jarius Jackson.
A nearby business owner expressed his safety concerns to Channel 9 the day after the violence.
The owner of Valhalla Pub & Eatery claims he was mugged not far from the establishment and believes CMPD should do more to safeguard patrons.
There has been a lot of violence in the area, and business owners say they’ve had enough.
Kristian Pedersen has owned Valhalla on Charlotte’s famed Brevard Court for 14 years.
“I’ve been in this courtyard since 2009,” Pederson explained. “That’s when I opened Hooligan’s, which was safe. “No, not this year.”
Thursday’s midday homicide occurred just yards from his place of employment.
When Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz interviewed Pederson the next day, he was visibly frustrated.
“This could have been avoided yesterday if somebody was here,” he told me.
He wants to see more CMPD officers walking and biking in the region. Sáenz spotted some on Friday.
Pedersen discussed his experience being targeted by Uptown violence.
He was mugged on the opposite side of Romare Bearden Park a few weeks ago.
“Punched me in the face about 100 times,” he told me.
He stated that a few adolescents were arrested, but they were released hours later.
“It’s the mayor’s problem,” Pedersen explained. “This is a city manager issue. This is a police department issue. We need a repair. “We need it now.”
Charlotte City Councilmember Edwin Peacock feels that the city should do more.
“We have a problem,” Peacock explained. “The first step is to admit we have a crime problem.”
He concluded: “If you lose the heart of our city, Uptown, it begins to choke out all the other arteries.”
Pederson agrees and is pleading with city officials and the police department to assist the business owners who make Uptown a thriving community.
“Help me out,” Pederson asked. “You can give the (Bank of America Stadium) $650 million, but you can’t assist me with security? Are you kidding me?
Channel 9 has heard from several business owners who say they’ve already asked CMPD for assistance with more routine patrols.
They said that had not happened.
Channel 9 inquired about this, but we have not heard back.
Recently, a special tax increase was implemented to assist firms in hiring security personnel.
It was a mere fraction of a cent per $100.
On September 12, the CMPD shared photographs of officers traveling through nightlife areas with Center City Partners.
The purpose was to assess the patrol areas for lighting conditions and hear people’s concerns.
