2020 Homicides

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the 2020 homicide tally has hit 123, an all-time high. Lt. Bryan Crum of the violent crime division said at a Wednesday news conference that the previous record — 122 homicides — was set in 1993.

Two teenagers are Charlotte’s latest homicide victims in 2020: 16-year-old Katherine Roxana Lopez Cruz and 13-year-old Michelle Avila Robles.

CMPD is investigating two fatal shootings in west Charlotte since Thursday night.

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings and his department are grappling with a rise in homicides and the "reimagining" of law enforcement.

During its standing Wednesday press conference, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department wanted to remind the public of an unsolved homicide that occurred a year ago in the hopes of finding more information. But during that press conference, police also had to address the fact that the city now has had 100 homicides as of that morning.

Charlotte now has 16 more homicides in 2020 than it did at this point last year. Three occurred within about 10 hours of each other Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

Judy Williams, who turned the pain of losing her goddaughter into a Charlotte nonprofit aimed at preventing violence and helping families of homicide victims through grief, died Saturday after battling lung cancer.

In its weekly press conference, CMPD said violent crime is up in 2020, but overall crime is down. The department also detailed two new programs: One directed at how officers respond to calls, and the other providing the ability to text 911.

Updated 5:10 p.m.Police say two people were shot and killed overnight in Charlotte, including a 5-year-old girl. Someone called 911 just before 9:30 p.m.…