Police
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5 Things to Know: Settlement Reached in ‘Cop City’ Lawsuit
Settlement Reached in ‘Cop City’ Lawsuit The two parties involved in a lawsuit related to the development of a public safety training facility on Central Piedmont Community College’s (CPCC) Levine campus in Matthews, dubbed “Cop City” by opposition, have come to an agreement, quashing the suit. Plaintiffs filed the lawsuit…
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Family Sues CMPD for Wrongful Death in Custody
The family of a man who died while restrained by CMPD officers in 2022 filed a wrongful death suit against the city and four officers with the department on the three-year anniversary of his death. Jovontay Williams was tackled to the ground, handcuffed and placed prone while an officer held…
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‘No Kings’: Thousands Pack Uptown to Push Back Against Trump
A crowd of more than 5,000 people packed First Ward Park in Uptown on Saturday to protest what organizers called authoritarian, corrupt and militaristic practices by the Trump administration. Noting that Trump, his cabinet members and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have defied US courts, deported Americans, kidnapped people off…
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5 Things to Know: MCSO Opens Recording Studio in Jail, Immediately Apologizes to Victim’s Family
MCSO Takes Flak for Recording Studio, Rehabilitation Program The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) on Tuesday celebrated the opening of Studio W5HY?, a state-of-the-art soundproof music recording studio in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center in Uptown, part of a new MCSO program titled Rhythm & Reflection: A Journey to Reformation. …
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Mayor, Council Members Denounce Watlington’s Claims of Illegal Behavior
On Wednesday, Mayor Vi Lyles joined five Charlotte City Council members and city attorney Anthony Fox at an impromptu press conference to deny and denounce comments made by fellow council member Dr. Victoria Watlington, who called recent actions by the council “unethical, immoral, and frankly, illegal.” Though vague, Watlington’s comments…
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Bakari Sellers Spearheads Lawsuit Against Town of Pineville, Police Officer
The mother of a woman severely injured after jumping from a moving Pineville Police Department (PPD) car on I-485 in 2022 has filed a federal lawsuit against the Town of Pineville and the unnamed officer who was driving the vehicle. Morgan Johnson’s mother, Brenda Yates, is represented by celebrated civil…
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CMPD Releases Promising Crime Stats to Start 2025
CMPD on Thursday released its first-quarter crime stats from 2025, lauding a drop in crime compared to the same three-month period in 2024. According to the department, citywide crime fell 6% overall during the first quarter of the year, which ranges from Jan. 1 to March 31, including a 17%…
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Council Quickies: CIAA’s Potential Return and Public Safety Measures
Charlotte City Council held a business meeting on Monday night that was preceded by an action review segment and public forum. The action review included updates on efforts to bring back the CIAA and citywide public safety measures. Airport workers and animal shelter volunteers addressed council during the public forum…
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Community Members Speak Against ‘Cop City’ Construction in Matthews
When the police publicly murdered George Floyd in May 2020, the slogan “Defund the Police” became a rallying cry for systemic change within law enforcement. While conservatives and law enforcement advocates have since pointed to the slogan to excuse shortcomings by police or rising crime rates where applicable, police budgets…
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5 Things to Know: Details Emerge in Deadly Police Shootout
Details Emerge in Deadly Police Shootout CMPD this week identified a man who was killed in a shootout with police in northeast Charlotte on Friday, March 7. According to a CMPD report, officers showed up at the home of 28-year-old Reggie Knight, located on Headquarters Farm Road in the Withrow…
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Council Quickies: Violence Prevention and Arts Funding
Charlotte City Council held a business meeting on Monday night, beginning with a presentation on violence prevention measures happening at the city, county and hospital levels that led to an in-depth discussion among council members. Council also voted on a new governing structure for arts funding, among other agenda items.…
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CMPD Report Provides Look at 2024 Crime Stats in Charlotte
CMPD held a press conference Thursday morning to go over its annual end-of-year report documenting crime stats in Charlotte, reporting a 3% drop in overall crime even as violent crime rose by the same percentage. Department officials credited the overall decrease to the department’s work in its main focus areas:…
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5 Things to Know: Homicide Total Spikes Before End of Year
Homicide Total Spikes Before End of Year The year came to a violent end in Charlotte this week as six people were killed in the city between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, at least five of whom by gun violence. Following three shooting deaths on Sunday, the most recent…
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5 Things to Know: DA Clears Officers in September Police Shooting
DA Clears Officers in September Police Shooting Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather announced Thursday that his office will not press charges in a police shooting that killed a man in southwest Charlotte in September. At around 7:29 p.m. on Sept. 22, officers Joshua Heater and Kenneth Kludy pulled over…
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5 Things to Know: Cooper, Stein Sue to Block Portion of SB382
Cooper, Stein Sue to Block Portion of SB382 North Carolina Governor-elect Josh Stein and Gov. Roy Cooper filed a lawsuit Thursday to block a new Republican-led law that shifts executive power in government. Stein, who currently serves as attorney general, and Cooper argue that the portion of the law making the…
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New Lawsuits Against MorningStar Fellowship Church Expand Sex Abuse Scandal
Following the Sept. 6 guilty plea to 10 charges related to sexual abuse by a former Cornelius police officer and youth church leader, for which he was sentenced to nine years in prison, leadership at the South Carolina megachurch where Erickson Douglas Lee preyed on children were likely hoping to…
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