A man has been taken into custody following a shooting incident in the parking lot of a Food Lion grocery store on West Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte. The event occurred just shortly after 2:30 p.m. yesterday. According to WBTV, 50-year-old Timothy Travis Pride has been arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a weapon into occupied property. The wounded individual was discovered inside a car and rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. A court appearance for Pride was scheduled for this morning.
The chaotic scene stretched over a half-mile from the grocery store to a nearby neighborhood, as reported by WSOCTV. Shell casings marked the area and a bumper was found detached in the middle of the parking lot row, though it's uncertain if it was related to the shooting. Witnesses claim to have heard a disturbance that quickly escalated into violence. One shopper, Sheila Tyler, recounted hearing a commotion: “The young man who was parked beside us, and we heard somebody across the parking lot screaming and yelling, sounded like a woman,” and continued by describing how event swiftly turned more serious: “So the guy parked right beside us, he got out of his car screaming and yelling, and then when I came in, the people outside said they heard bullets and everybody ran around the building.” This account highlights the unexpected nature of the incident and the panic that ensued among bystanders.
MEDIC confirmed that the individual suffering from the life-threatening injuries was quickly transported to a hospital for treatment. As for the investigation, law enforcement officers have been actively interviewing witnesses to piece together the circumstances leading to the unfortunate event. Meanwhile, as WCNC reported, this shooting was one of two that occurred just miles and minutes apart on that Sunday afternoon. However, authorities have not confirmed if the incidents are connected.
Residents and shoppers arrived at the Food Lion to find the establishment closed due to the ongoing investigation, causing concern and confusion amongst the local community. While police continue to actively investigate the full scope of the incident, Pride's detention marks a significant development in the aftermath of the shooting. With the suspect expected in court, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police hope to quickly determine full accountability for the violent altercation that has left one person fighting for their life. In the time since the incident, no additional details about the shooting or the victim's current condition have been made public.
