Citing a wave of homicides in the past six weeks, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police is requesting that the National Guard be deployed to Charlotte.
In a letter sent to city leaders, FOP President Daniel Redford said Charlotte has failed to address violent crime, even though homicides in the city were down overall as of mid-year. Since then, a series of high-profile killings, including the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail, a four-year-old shot and killed by a car thief while sleeping in his bed, a deadly lunch hour shooting outside Latta Arcade in uptown and the killing of a 16-year-old in the crowded Midtown Target parking deck in the early evening, have shaken the city.
Redford said the city's "current crime-fighting strategies and strained staffing are unsustainable," and that National Guard troops would relieve pressure on officers. While President Trump has ordered the National Guard to Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Portland, and threatened to do so in other cities, there has been no indication yet that Charlotte is under consideration.
In a social media post Friday morning, Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham said the city doesn't need guard troops deployed here. He called them "window dressing."
@JoeBrunoWSOC9 the last thing the city of Charlotte needs is the National Guard on the streets. As a local community we must block out the outside noise and do the work to ensure all citizens feel safe and secure. Window dressing won’t do it! #cltnews
— Malcolm Graham (@SenatorMGraham) October 3, 2025