Charlotte will pay $120,000 to end a federal lawsuit brought by a man shot by a Charlotte‑Mecklenburg police officer as he drove out of an employee parking lot at Charlotte‑Douglas International Airport. The settlement, signed by City Attorney Andrea Leslie‑Fite on March 23 closes a case that began with a July 2018 airport‑lot confrontation. The plaintiff, Xyavier Calliste, was 20 years old at the time and survived after being shot twice through his car door.
The city provided the settlement amount to The Charlotte Observer, which reported that the agreement resolves claims arising from the 2018 incident. According to the paper, the settlement was finalized earlier this year and the dollar figure was disclosed only recently.
What Happened at CLT
Court records describe the night of July 31, 2018, when Officer Xeng Lor responded to a trespass call at an airport employee lot. As Calliste’s car was leaving, Lor fired two rounds through the driver‑side door. The Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center, which represents Calliste, says the bullets hit him in the hand and chest, that he was treated at a hospital and then investigated afterward.
Fourth Circuit’s Ruling
On June 24, 2025, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Officer Lor’s interlocutory appeal for lack of jurisdiction but accepted the district court’s view of the facts for purposes of the qualified‑immunity analysis. In an unpublished opinion, the panel said that, taken in the light most favorable to Calliste, a jury could find that Lor fired after the car had already passed him and therefore would have used unconstitutional deadly force. Because of those factual disputes, the court concluded the appeal could not be resolved at that stage. Justia carries the opinion.
CMPD’s Internal Probe and Discipline
A Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department internal investigation found that Lor used an excessive amount of deadly force. The department imposed administrative measures that included a two‑week ride‑along, one week of remedial training and one month of unpaid leave, according to The Charlotte Observer. The paper also reports that Leslie‑Fite signed the settlement late last March after years of litigation and appellate skirmishing.
Local Costs and the Wider Pattern
The Calliste settlement adds to a string of high‑profile CMPD civil suits that have cost the city millions, including a $1.5 million payout in the Danquirs Franklin case, underscoring how expensive officer‑involved shootings can become if they move toward trial. Local coverage of the Franklin settlement and its appellate history has highlighted why the city sometimes resolves these disputes before a jury is ever seated. WBTV reported on that case.
What This Means Legally
Legally, the Fourth Circuit’s decision to treat the disputed facts as the district court framed them removed a key procedural barrier for Calliste and left open both the excessive‑force claim against Lor and the negligence claim against the city. The district court’s orders and filings show that the case survived summary judgment in relevant part and that some claims against the city remained live even as the appeal unfolded; that record sets the procedural backdrop for the settlement. Justia hosts those filings.
By agreeing to pay $120,000, the city avoided a jury trial that, after the federal appeals, was likely to focus heavily on body‑worn camera footage and on whether the officer was still in the car’s path when he fired. Calliste’s case now joins a series of disputed CMPD shootings that have drawn scrutiny to department policies and to Charlotte’s legal and financial exposure.
