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Years ago that we all on the roof to talk about the situation that developed early Monday morning over on Ford Road and for those who are here on Monday, you'll recall that we really highly encouraged and employed community members who have any information concerning that incident to come forward to pass that along allowing our detectives to follow up, chased down those leads and bring those who are involved in that tragic situation that developed Monday morning to a resolution there have been developed since then. Smith Stepp Chief Smith is gonna get to those developments in just a couple of seconds, maybe Belding to recognize why we'd be out here. just you know less than 48 hours later doing the same thing rest assured the community should rest assured that this is a front burner case. It's gonna remain on the front burner for good reason yet nine people that were shot several who've lost their lives couple more who are still fighting for their lives. Five people hit by cars early Monday. So this is gonna be a priority for the Organization for the Department. We know it's a priority for some members of our community who are gracious enough community minded enough to step up and that's where I think Chief Smith wants to start this morning. Deputy chief of Charles Smith. Devon Chel Smith, I am the deputy chief of the Investigative Services Group here at CMPD. Thank you for coming out for the follow up here on the shooting on Bettys Road. I'm gonna start off by giving out the bad news and that is the total number who have succumb to injuries from this incident is up to four. There was one more who was in critical condition and they still are in critical condition, but with this community's. Prayers that have moved to a stable condition as well, too, and we hope and we continue to pray that their condition continues to improve and not go to the opposite direction. I'm gonna start off by talking directly to the families because it is our obligation here at the police Department to actually find and hold those responsible accountable for what happened out there. And but we also know that beyond that We also have a responsibility to be able to tell these families what happened right now. We understand that they are in a lot of pain. They are truly hurting. We cannot feel that pain, but we do understand that it's there because they had loved ones who were somewhere or having a good time at the celebration. and then they get that phone call in the Middle of the night. I can tell you that homicide detectives are very good here. They really one thing that they get that they really really enjoy their job is just to be able to tell family friends and loved ones. Why what happened and that leads me to the next thing? I wanna talk about is that we have had some people to come forth some witnesses in which I implore last time that they are the 400 approximate 400 people out there that someone needed to come forward. We have had a number of people call Crime Stoppers. send us videos step forward to be witness. However, we know that there are more no matter what you think how big or how important what you saw out there. You should call us okay so that we can put together this full picture and it's not just for us. It's that you can actually help bring some closure to these families who are hurting right now, not only to the families who have lost loved ones, but those who struck by bullets who struck by cars who right now who's lives are changed forever. I think that is a responsibility. That's that's the responsibility that we have to our own humanity pick up the phone call, and let's do that. some of the updates that we have at last time, I was asked how many rounds were fired. That's over A hundred now that we've processed the same. that count is a hundred and 81 cases that we collected from that one scene a hundred and 81. That's a lot of bullets. That's different types of guns. we have put it. We can put it into two categories, handguns and assault rifles that we have from out there and that we will be processing that information and all those rounds as we can some of those rounds have already. To and some of those rounds are coming back connected to other cases, I cannot and will not go into any detail about those cases. But now we have guns that have not only involved in one crime but other crimes around the city that is a concern. I can start to take questions, but I think some of the other topics that have come up is that do we have a motive? No right now we do not it is just. As it was the night that it happened to us right now and that is the importance of witnesses coming forward. Why would this happen? Why did this occur? so I implore everyone to do that again. I'm gonna anticipate a question that is continuously come up in the Department about the officer with the with the rifle, Okay and the scene in the video that's being played over and over again on social media the entire picture the entire picture. There is a. Activist who is there on scene and goes to get two officers because they see someone who had been struck and needed the assistance they are running across the parking lot as they're doing that more more rounds and more shots of fired they take cover the officers get to their feet and then they continue running the officer with the rifle gun with the rifle is getting out of his vehicle as that occurs. he's he is assessing things he's seen the carnage. that's out there, he gets out of his car. Shots fired and he assumes that the scene is still hot. It is an active shooter scene. He grabs the rifle and he goes and he starts looking for threats. That's what he's doing and that's about the time that the video that is on social media kicks in, but you don't understand that right before that second before that bullets were still flying. He grabs that gun and he's looking for threats. He is clearing the area and looking for threats. I think that should be. In this community not only in this police Department, but also the other police departments around here. it wasn't long ago that we had an active shooter at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. the officers out there on that campus did the same thing they did not get in the car and wait they did not leave. They did not wait outside just as this officer did they went looking for the threat and I think that that doesn't build confidence in the organizations around here in the law enforcement organizations here. I don't know what it is. You know that the officer. That if you're involved in an active shooter situation, our officers are coming in. they're coming to make it safe for you. So I just wanted to say that cuz I think that that officer did an outstanding job for the situation. he did what he was supposed to do. He did what everyone in this community expects us to do so at that time, I'm just saying 400 approximately 400 people before I start taking questions and I speak to you directly right now. come forward. please if not just for. Someone interrupting your ability to have a celebration, but for the pain that these families are feeling for the comfort of our own entire community that we need so please come forward. So at this time, I'll start taking questions from the witnesses that have come forward so far is this a plan shooting that was gonna take place that night or is this something along the lines of people that started shooting randomly after something an incident that happened we're not looking at it as it was premeditated this time I. Anyone could have anticipated Juneteenth Celebration continuing for three days so we're but we don't eliminate any possibility at all off the table right now. but right now, there's no indication that it was premeditated. Did the witnesses give you anything that points to any suspects? there are some names that have come up. but at this time, we're we're not gonna be able to give out those names. The investigation is still full blast and like I said we believe we will say this and I I didn't mention earlier, but we do believe that there were multiple shooters at this point in time multiple how many times have you identified? I I really don't have that number sir and what I was saying from the cases that were out there, A hundred and 80 - one we were just They were multiple handguns multiple assault rifles, so you can go to the go to the game 380405 - nine millimeters. There was 40 Cal. There's all kind of rounds out there all kinds of how many witnesses have come forward since you're on Monday, I'm gonna say not enough, but to those who have come forward. Thank you for your courage. Can you give us the ballpark? I'll say that about 20 calls are coming to to to Crime Stoppers, but there's some others as well, too, but I want others to find that Is it unusual that so few people have come forward and if so, why do you think that is I don't know why it is. I don't know if they don't think that they're what they saw was valuable or if they know something more that they think it's gonna come back on them, but you know you can call or you can call Crime Stoppers and you need that information. you can do that even if they think well the people I saw were shooting out of a vehicle, but that's important information because if you tell us where you were and you saw. In the air that kind of eliminates us from looking into that area, that's why I'm saying people should call to tell us what they saw. you know, sometimes it's not about just identifying the shooters, but sometimes it's it's eliminating things that are not important and not relevant to the NRA and you're talking about four blocks here. We've got to do that as well in this entire investigation. There's been a lot in the last month that's happened around the country around the world. What about the level of trust? What is your sense of the level of trust between the community? those people who are out there? That's a good question and I believe the citizenss in the community here just by talking to the officers, the number of people who are walking up to them just saying we support you hang in there, tough time that the majority of the community they really do support us and support the Organization and support our mission getting down to the brass tax of it. People are still calling 911 if they didn't trust us, they would not call 911 so. The quantify that I can't say so, but if you talk to people and talk to officers and you know they feel really good just by if they're doing just directing traffic, the number of people who are just supporting them doing whatever they're doing and as a core, it's possible, you're not getting more information because people don't trust. I don't think so I don't think so I think they trust us and they're gonna actually hold us to that trust. They're gonna hold us to our responsibility to be there to hold whoever did this shooting accountable. If you don't hold people accountable, you don't hold responsibility to someone unless you trust them. Yes, going back to what you said before yesterday about how this started Friday and how you all were there in some form of passion blocked off the Street blah blah. What I've heard a lot from people out there. There's just something fishy about it just doesn't add up and when you look at the video of that you will release of the ambulance pulling up and out of nowhere. Yes, as it's pulling on, have you all been able to discern where things went wrong since they were officers out there. what part of the shooting at such an all-time exactly we don't have a motive. We don't have a motive, but the ambulance the fire Department the police Department whenever they they hit and run involving injury. That is the protocol for first responders. We all go if people have questioned that that there was even a hit-and-run because. Somebody who wanted the victims who was hit by a car yesterday, he said. When the ambulance pulled up, it was a surprise to everyone, but everyone was concerned with one another. There's a question of even whether there was a hit and run there was there was there was, but there's no way that I would release that victim's name right now in this environment, but this there was a hit and run and there's no way around it can't wish it away for those who wanna say that there was something else there. A. Hit by a by a car kept going and that's why we came. That's why the ambulance game. That's why the fire Department came as far as the timing of the shooting. I don't know. I don't know we have that we don't have that if it makes it's just senseless act. We have no idea that first victim that was hit by that car. Do you know if she was hit by the people who are doing the the spins and the tricks in the Street is that when she got hit by the car, my understanding is that particular person was hit. It was on the Street and that is the direction of the ambulance was gone. That's my understanding now I'm glad you bring. And just to clarify things that they're one of the victims who who died on the scene was not shot. They were actually hit by a car that ran him over. okay here that the victims who were shot were caught in a crossfire or we're we're into the crowd looks like they were shooting to the crowd where they directing or looking for someone in particular, we don't know that's why we need people's help. so you know. A lot of people who hit so. I don't think. I can say definitively until the investigation is over what these multiple shooters were shooting at if not each other and other people were just caught in between. I don't know, but that's the investigation we are looking for that to to uncover all that so that we can actually tell people what happened and those are the kind of questions that we need to be able to answer and to be able to tell these families. That's exactly what we want of our goals are Thank you. so since there's no motive is that you won't don't know. Looking for yet or if you have people in mind well, there's some names that keep popping up and have we reached the point of saying the suspects yet no possibly subject of interest, possibly but there's some names that have popped up but the connection with the other crimes and those those the ballistics that you all connected is that helping in any way it doesn't connect to people well, the ballistics connect the weapons Okay. and that's what I'm saying some of the Browns and the kins out there. we're fired from the same. That we're involved in some other crimes doesn't necessarily connect the people, but it helps us point towards people. Okay. We know that that we know that there's some guns out there that were involved in other crimes. It helps us to connect to people. We don't know who's hand that gun was in at the time some people who spoke to on babies for road have said that they're having a hard time believing that this was the act of violence is committed by people that live in the neighborhood or live in Charlotte. What's your response to people? Are having a hard time coming to that reality that there were people in this neighborhood that they did committed or we don't know, but we intend to find out to let them know. Yes. it's a bad Mark on that neighborhood in that community completely that one is already has some issues with violence and and it's our balances our areas of concentration that we're looking at but to be able to say definitively that someone from there did it. We can't say it right now, we can't say. Those people of interest yet or we are conducting as many of these as we can right now. We've got a squad uptown on the upstairs right now who I mean there were they're putting in the hours they are putting in a lot of work as things come in making sure things are processed our crime lab like I said, taking a hundred and 81 cases and putting it into the system. they are doing that they're continuously doing that information so we can get the bigger picture. So you go ahead and you feel like the block party people who would do differently next time. I don't know if anyone could have known this was gonna happen Juneteenth has never been to this level of celebratory a celebration in this country's history. Never no one could have anticipated that the Juneteenth Celebration would have happened not only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but you know it's one of those questions. What would you do now? If you if you knew then what you know now would you have done things differently? and I think that the captain. Good plan that getting the vehicles out of the road and right before this happened, he was actually down the Street gathered up with some officers to actually do the same thing. We're gonna block off the road. The cars we are doing the donuts. They've got a leaf okay with that have prevented it don't know but the officers in the in the captain who was out there was he was coming together with a plan right before this happened. So before you came in there were there were Green up their cameras all over the city. it's it's no surprise to see he has had the ability to. Hot spots around the city with there any video of this area that night not that I know of not that I've looked at and we have body worn camera video, but even if they're the cameras that you're talking about the DOT cameras and things of that nature compared to the number of video phones that are out there. that's just a few cameras. and that's why we're asking people to come forward. There are a lot of good video. That's coming forward like the video that we've shown of what actually happened with the officer with the patrol rifle showing that he is looking for the threats. That's what he's looking for camera. Call that DOT camera' that but everyone who has a camera right now. Yeah we we We really wanna look at that video because even if it's before this incident occurred there were a lot of people who are walking around there. open carry armed okay. They were a lot of people who are armed already if you've got video of that an hour or two hours before that, we wanna see that we wanna see that to see if we can identify that person. We know that there were armed people out there prior to this has been happening so thank you. Thank you to clarify nine shooting victims by people hit by cars. Three of the shooting victims died. One of the car crash victims died correct is it possible how many people are still in the hospital. I do not know that I do know one. I know the one I spoke about earlier, but the other ones who were struck by Browns. I do not know you thank you guys keep had mentioned that upwards of 20 people have come forward so far called in an anonymous strictly anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers. We encourage people to continue to do that for those who you who aren't familiar with the Crime Stoppers program up to a $5000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or arrests in this case, it's. To see that 20 people at least 20 people have come forward so far, but to the Chief's point not nearly enough if we can't pull on the purse strings of the community, maybe we could pull on pull on the heart. Strings had a conversation early this morning. Probably one of the most heartbreaking conversations I've ever had Asmaa Nickerson. She's the mother of Christopher Layton, one of the first victims to succumb to the gunshot wound out there Monday morning, her eldest son, 20. This guy landscaper father local wrestler just a good guy out there celebrating with hundreds of other people out there. This woman is just be beside herself. Cannot begin to imagine what this woman is going through This morning. I'd love to say that she's planning a funeral. I can't say that she's planning a funeral because they're so destitute right now that family. they can't afford to bury this young guy, 28 years old. so if you know. We can talk about the percentages we can talk about the stats. Think about miss Nickerson think about Christopher Gli what did he commit what kind of crime he could. He went out there to celebrate just like hundreds of others and he's not with us here today, along with three others and it's just flat-out heartbreaking. Keep them in your thoughts and your prayers continue to keep this on the front row. If you could if anyone in the community has any information, we highly encourage you to pass that information along to us anonymously through Crime Stoppers anything that we need to address this. We can talk about offline guys appreciate everyone.