A 15-member grand jury has indicted 21-year-old Evin Quarles on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a 17-year-old in northeast Charlotte earlier this month. The indictment, handed up on Sept. 21, moves forward a case that has drawn extra scrutiny because Quarles is the son of a sitting Huntersville town official.
According to Queen City News, Quarles was originally charged on Sept. 13 with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Cameron Brice. The Charlotte Observer, however, has identified the victim as Cameron Massey-Brice in its own reporting — a discrepancy between the two outlets that has not been resolved. Quarles's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 27.
Witnesses told investigators that Brice and Quarles had been with a group earlier that night and were together at an apartment on Kittansett Drive, per the same Queen City News account. Officers who responded found the teen with multiple gunshot wounds in the 9300 block of Kittansett Drive, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Charlotte Observer.
A Second Victim Found Nearby
Police also found a second shooting victim, 22-year-old Jacori Mitchell, in the 9600 block of North Tryon Street, where he also died at the scene, the Observer reports. Police believe the two homicides are related, though investigators have not detailed the precise connection between the two shootings.
A second arrest followed just days later. On Sept. 16, CMPD announced the arrest of Joseph Lewis Sings Jr., who was charged with first-degree murder in Mitchell's death, according to the Queen City News report on the case. As of publication, court records reviewed for that reporting did not show a bill of indictment against Sings.
‘We Have Smoke’: What the Warrant Alleges
According to court documents cited by the Observer, witnesses stated that Quarles told Brice, “we have smoke,” before firing four shots at him, striking him. The warrant further alleges that Quarles fled the scene in a silver Ford F-150 registered in his name, and police said Flock camera footage captured the vehicle near the scene.
Quarles later turned himself in to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department after officers obtained the first-degree murder warrant, the Observer notes. He is being held without bond, according to a report from WSOC-TV.
Family Ties to Huntersville Government
WSOC-TV reports that Evin, 21, is the son of Huntersville Town Commissioner Edwin Quarles. The elder Quarles was absent from the Huntersville town board meeting that followed his son's arrest. He has said he intends to continue serving his constituents.
