Police pleading for help identifying suspect in Mallard Creek Park shooting

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Detectives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are working to identify the person(s) responsible for firing gunshots during a large gathering at Mallard Creek Park on Sunday.

Police said a 15-year-old girl was shot in the neck and suffered serious injuries during the shooting. A large gathering was happening at the park when the incident took place.

Detective Rick Smith with the CMPD Crime Stoppers returned to the park Tuesday to speak about the shooting.

“We had yet another shooting out here,” Smith said. “Just a very careless, reckless act.”

He said it is unclear if the teen girl was specifically targeted in the shooting.

“We can’t definitively say if anyone was targeted,” Smith said. “We just know that several rounds were discharged in this area.”

The detective said it is possible that the person who fired the shots wasn’t trying to hit anyone.

“It’s very possible. We don’t know,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to solicit the community’s help to see, number one, who this individual is to get this individual identified and try to understand why this incident occurred.”

Smith is confident there are people who know who is responsible for the shooting and are not coming forward to talk with police.

“This was uncalled for, unnecessary, just complete reckless handling of a weapon, randomly shooting into a crowd,” he said. “You had to know someone was gonna get struck. That’s just being irresponsible and having no regard for human life.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Tipsters can remain anonymous and they can receive a cash reward if they have information that leads to an arrest. Community members can also submit tips about crimes through the P3 Tips app.

Related: 2 seriously injured in separate northeast Charlotte shootings

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