A person was shot in uptown Charlotte early Thursday morning, paramedics confirmed.
It was the fifth uptown shooting in two months, according to police records.
Witnesses said they heard up to five gunshots, then saw a man get shot in the back at about 4 a.m., the Observer’s news partner. It happened on North College Street near Sixth Street, in an area with hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.
Paramedics said the victim had life-threatening injuries. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has not publicly identified a victim or suspect in this case.
Recent uptown shootings
Earlier this month, officers found a man shot in a parking lot near the Spectrum Center — a couple blocks over from Thursday’s shooting — at about 2:30 a.m.
He died at the hospital more than a week later. Police charged a suspect with attempted murder, intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and discharging a firearm in the city limits.
Another man was shot in the leg near the VUE apartments on West Fifth Street in uptown at about 7:30 a.m. June 5. A woman had called 911 and said a man was threatening her and her friends with a gun, according to police. Police have not released any information about suspects or arrests in the case.
Another man was shot and killed in uptown near Truist Field in late May. Officers chased the suspect from Gastonia to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where police said he was arrested and charged with 1st-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In April, two people were injured after a mid-day shooting in uptown’s Romare Bearden Park. Police quickly detained a suspect.
2023 Charlotte crime trends
Despite recent shootings in uptown, police said crime in Charlotte has dropped citywide compared to last year.
At least 27 people — including three children — have died in Charlotte shootings so far this year. More have been injured.
As of last month, CMPD recorded a total of 31 homicides in Charlotte this year.
In the first six months of 2023, there have been 2,359 victims of firearm-related crime in Charlotte, according to CMPD. That number is down approximately 4% from the same period last year.
Overall crime in Charlotte is also down this year, police said.
The city has seen a 12% decrease in overall violent crime so far this year, and CMPD officials said the number of gun-related crimes involving kids is also decreasing.
The drop is largely due to the 1,400 firearms seized this year, said CMPD public information officer Mike Allinger.