Police say a 46-year-old man was shot and killed Friday night in a townhome community off Independence Boulevard, bringing the number of homicides in Charlotte this year to 102 - one of the highest totals the city has seen since 1993.
The shooting was reported at 9:57 p.m. Friday, when police were notified of an assault with a deadly weapon at the Waterford Townhomes in the 5700 block of Pebblestone Drive. Police evacuated nearby residents after witnesses said the shooter appeared to have run into a nearby apartment.
A SWAT team was called in to search for the shooter, but was unsuccessful. On Saturday, police said they had identified Carlton Benbow, 32, as a suspect in the shooting and had taken him into custody.
The victim was identified 46-year-old Reginald Lawrence, who was pronounced dead by MEDIC in the complex's parking lot.
The shooting death follows a string of shootings over the holiday weekend in Charlotte. On Thanksgiving night, a mother was arrested and charged with shooting her 37-year-old daughter with a stolen firearm. Earlier in the night, police say a man was shot and injured in a residential area of east Charlotte and rushed to Atrium Health's Carolinas Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Police have not given an update on the man's condition.
Anyone with information about the above shootings is asked to call police at 704-432-TIPS, or notify Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or at the Crime Stoppers website.