Nightclub employee killed, five hospitalized in Uptown Charlotte mass shooting

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An employee at a Uptown nightclub is dead and five others are hurt after a mass shooting early Sunday morning.

Around 2 a.m. on July 13, officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 300 block of North College Street. That’s near The Hive on E. 6th Street.

When they arrived, they found one person with a gunshot wound who was pronounced dead at the scene. Three people were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot injuries, and two others transported themselves, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

The identity of the deceased has not been made public.

A spokesperson with Encore Nightclub said the person who died was one of their employees. They put out a statement, saying in part,

“We want to make it clear that this incident did not occur or stem from any conflict or altercation inside Encore/XO. It appears to be the result of a senseless act of gun violence that occurred in the surrounding area.”

Our crews talked with two people who didn’t want to go on camera but said they were at the club when the shooting happened. They claimed the incident the argument did started as an inside Encore.

Bullet holes were seen through the front windshield of a witness’s car.

“It’s safety, it’s safety,” said Fernando Cardenas, who works in Uptown. “We have families here. We have cultural events. We don’t have problems, but probably at 3 am — 4 am, that changes.”

CMPD has not said whether they have identified a suspect or if anyone is in custody.

This is an active investigation. Anyone with information about this shooting can contact a homicide detective at 704-432-8477 or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.