MONROE, N.C. — A 12-year-old who was shot following a "large street fight" on Saturday evening has died, Monroe Police confirmed.
Monroe Police responded to a reported shooting on Skywatch Lane, which is just off MLK Jr. Boulevard, around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 7. When officers arrived, they found a 12-year-old who had been shot. The child, identified as Messiah Barrino, was taken to a Charlotte-area hospital where he died from his injuries.
WCNC spoke with a neighbor who knew the victim.
"I'm like an uncle to them. I've been to the school with them. He was a scholar. A-B Honor Roll," DeAndre Cunningham-Atkinson said. "I loved him. I loved Messiah. He was my everything."
Officers learned that a 15-year-old was also taken to the hospital before they arrived. The teen remains hospitalized but is expected to survive, Monroe Lt. Morgan Malone confirmed Monday.
Monroe police arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection to the shooting. He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and discharging a firearm into an occupied property. His name is not being released because of his age, however, police say he is being charged as an adult.
The teenage suspect will face a release hearing and then be held in custody at a juvenile facility.
Further details about the shooting and the street fight have not yet been made public. WCNC Charlotte is working to learn more about the investigation.
Cunningham-Atkinson says other neighbors are also fed up with the violence in the area and have called an HOA meeting on Saturday to address it.
"I don't even feel safe. I was in the hotel last night," he said. "I have two-year-old twins, so it's devastating to me."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Monroe Police Department at 704-282-4700.