Man charged for murder of man killed near southwest Charlotte light rail stop: CMPD

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting and killing a 39-year-old man in southwest Charlotte on Saturday, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

On Sunday, August 3, 29-year-old Steven Downing Jr. was charged with murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Arrest records show he is being held without bond.

According to court documents, Downing allegedly killed 39-year-old Stephen Jerome Carroll II and stole his phone. Carroll’s girlfriend said she was able to track his phone and saw it was moving in the same direction that Downing was last seen traveling.

Carroll was found with a gunshot wound shortly before midnight on Saturday on the 6200 block of South Blvd. Police said he died shortly after arriving at a local hospital very early Sunday morning.

Investigators said Carroll and Downing lived in the same hotel together. Before the shooting, Carroll’s girlfriend told police that when she talked to her boyfriend on the phone, he and Downing were getting thrown out of a bar because of Downing’s behavior.

The affidavit alleges that Carroll’s girlfriend heard Carroll and Downing get into an argument over the phone. Afterwards, she was unable to get him to answer the phone when she called.

When police found Downing, he was reportedly wearing the same clothes as seen in a surveillance video.

Carroll’s next of kin has been notified of Downing’s arrest. CMPD says this is still an active investigation.