A spate of drive-by shootings throughout North Carolina, which left a three-year-old dead Tuesday, is believed to be a part of bitter rivalry between high school students in the area.
Asiah Fiquero, 3, was shot in the head around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night, along Richard Rozzelle Drive near Mountain Island Lake, after individuals in several cars fired 150 rounds of bullets into his home in Charlotte.
Capt. Joel McNelly told a press conference on Wednesday, that the shooting is connected to another shooting, on Sunday, that left a 16-year-old dead and two other teens injured, as well as several other violent crimes & shootings into homes.
McNelly said the shootings are all believed to be related to disputes among students at Hopewell, North Mecklenburg and Chambers high schools.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police pleaded with parents and students at all three schools, to help in finding Asiah’s killers.
‘Parents of kids at these high schools, what we need from you is we need you to be as outraged as we are about this,’ McNelly said. ‘This is where your kids go to school, these are the people that your kids are around and we need your help.
‘You should know whether or not your children were at home the last few nights,’ McNelly added. ‘If your children were not at home the last few nights, overnight, we need to know that.’
In addition, McNelly urged parents to comb through their children’s rooms, their phones and their social media pages to help detectives ‘solve the murder of three-year-old Asiah.’
Asiah Fiquero, 3, (right) with his older sister (left). Asiah was shot around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night, along Richard Rozzelle Drive near Mountain Island Lake, in what police believe to be a targeted shooting
According to home security video from a house across the street, two vehicles appeared to pulled up in front of the house seconds before several suspects exited and opened fire
On Tuesday, little Fiquero was immediately rushed to Atrium Health hospital after the shooting but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD) said the toddler was asleep when he was fatally shot.
CMPD mentioned Fiquero’s four-year-old sister, with whom he was close to, was also injured in the shooting and will survive.
The toddler’s great-grandmother, Susie Whitley, 67, is heartbroken over the news and cannot fathom why something like this happened.
‘I don’t know why this happened, I don’t know what’s going on,’ Whitley said. ‘I’m gonna miss my grandson, my great grandson, so much. He was only three. He was just taken away.’
According to police, eleven individuals were home during the time of the shooting.
The toddler’s great-grandmother, Susie Whitley, 67, is heartbroken over the news and cannot fathom why something like this happened
During a press conference Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles commented that Asiah lost his life ‘because we can’t figure out how to live together.’
During a press conference on Wednesday, Capt. Joel McNelly told reporters the shooting is connected to another shooting that left a 16-year-old dead as well as several other violent crimes & shootings into homes
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles commented that Asiah lost his life ‘because we can’t figure out how to live together.’
‘If we can’t figure this out for a three-year-old, for whom will we do this for?’ she asked.
Police are still investigating the incident, and no suspect or vehicle descriptions have been released at this time.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Major Major Ryan Butler called the ordeal an ‘extremely challenging time’ for the department in addition to Fiquero’s relatives.
‘As you can imagine, this is an extremely challenging time, not only for the friends and family involved, but for the neighbors and the officers who are currently working this case,’ Butler told Channel 9 at the scene. ‘I can’t emphasize enough the gravity of this situation and I know that we have, unfortunately, spoken several times over the last week.’
CMPD block off Richard Rozzelle Drive where three-year-old Asiah Fiquero was shot dead around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night
While canvassing the neighborhood, CMPD told Channel 9 that additional houses as well as vehicles were hit by gunfire.
While canvassing the neighborhood, police told Channel 9 that additional houses as well as vehicles were hit by gunfire. They also mentioned a bullet grazed another family member inside the home, but that they will recover.
According to home security video from a house across the street, two vehicles appeared to pulled up in front of the house seconds before several suspects exited and opened fire.
‘This is a situation where we have a very young, innocent child who has been taken from the community due to the actions of some individuals who clearly have demonstrated complete disregard for the welfare of their fellow human being,’ Butler added. ‘This is so far short of what we as a community here in Charlotte are capable of.’