Police say a late-night family dispute in northwest Charlotte turned violent early Saturday when a 54-year-old man allegedly shot a relative on Hovis Road. Officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded just before 1 a.m. to the 4800 block of Hovis Road, where they found a victim with a gunshot wound. The injured family member was taken to the hospital with what authorities described as non-life-threatening injuries, and officers arrested Ronnie Corey Perry Jr. at the scene on felony charges.
Officials: Arrest, charges and weapon
According to WCNC, officers found Perry’s wounded relative when they arrived and took Perry into custody right there on Hovis Road. Court documents reviewed by the outlet allege that Perry fired a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2 chambered in .380 caliber. The filings list two felony counts, including assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and possession of a firearm by a felon that had been discharged during the commission of a felony. Police say the victim’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
Legal context
North Carolina law makes it illegal for people with felony convictions to purchase, own or possess firearms, and it spells out stiffer penalties if a gun is brandished or fired during another felony. State statute North Carolina General Assembly sets out the prohibition on possession by a felon and details enhanced punishment when a firearm is used in connection with a felony offense.
Case status
Per WCNC, court records show Perry was previously convicted in 2009 of cocaine trafficking in York County, South Carolina, a felony that bars him from legally possessing a firearm. The same records list two felony charges in the Hovis Road case and indicate that Perry is being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center while the investigation continues.
