CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – Police are investigating a fatal shooting at a mall in northwest Charlotte Wednesday afternoon.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said a 21-year-old man has died after someone pulled a gun in the Rozzelle Crossing parking lot.
Police said the shooting happened shortly before 2 p.m. along Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road, which is near the Rozzelles Ferry Road intersection.
The man who died was identified as Paul Ja’Varius Tate.
We love you baby, we miss you so much,” said Tate’s cousin, Danielle Blount.
“We will take care of your mother and take care of her.”
Investigators identified a 16-year-old as a suspect in the case. That teenager turned himself in Wednesday evening and has been charged with murder and taken to a juvenile detention center.
Police said Wednesday that 21-year-old Paul Tate was shot and killed at Rozzelle Crossing Mall.
“I have a young man who is no longer with us because we were unable to take the path that allowed us to overcome our differences,” CMPD Major Ryan Butler said after the incident. “Now we have a family and a community dealing with another loss.”
Butler said police are seeking evidence from witnesses, surveillance video from nearby businesses and other physical evidence from “other crime scenes” aside from the mall.
Don Watkins was inside his car, a few feet from the fatal incident, when he saw commotion and heard gunshots.
“My family stays close to here, you know … innocent people could have been hurt,” he said. “Anybody could have been hurt. I was in the parking lot when they started shooting, so I had to drive to get out of here. I could have hit somebody, anything could have happened.”
Police are still working to find who pulled the trigger.
Anyone with information is asked to call police and speak with investigators. You can remain anonymous.
Livingstone College later released the following statement:
Livingstone College was devastated by the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of student Paul Tate on 14 June 2023. He was 21 years old.
A senseless act of gun violence has prematurely ended the life of a student, a freshman, who was at the beginning of his educational pursuits at Livingstone College.
Faculty and staff who knew him well described him as a joy to be around. “I understand that he was recently adopted into the kingdom of God by the confession of his faith and often quoted the Scriptures,” said Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis. “I pray this brings comfort to his family, friends and all who knew him during this time of grief. Sadly, this is a sobering reminder that life is fleeting, but there is no pain on earth that heaven cannot to cure”.
Paul graduated from West Mecklenburg High School and attended Shiloh AME Zion Church in Mt. Holly.
“Please keep the family of this fallen blue bear in your prayers as they navigate this most difficult time of a life that ended far too soon,” Davis said.
Details of Paul’s funeral arrangements will be provided as they become available.
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