CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police charged a 38-year-old man who is accused of gunning down a woman outside a public services building off North Tryon Street, in the middle of the morning Friday.
Kristopher Anthony Sinclair, 38, was taken into custody early Saturday morning for the shooting that occurred in the parking lot of the Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center. He was booked without bond for first-degree murder of 27-year-old Brianye Copeland.
Even after the arrest, the deadly shooting is still leaving its mark on the community.
‘Shock of my life’
A place where people seek help needed help on Friday.
“I just came to bring some paperwork, and I got the shock of my life, the shock of my life,” said Chevonne Handy, who came to the center for resources Friday.
Handy arrived to find it was closed.
The parking lot of the place where Mecklenburg County workers help people with child support, veterans, and health services became a crime scene on Friday.
“Being in broad daylight, being at this community center where we hold multiple community events is very disturbing,” said Major Gene Lim with CMPD.
Workers watched from the building and say they were told to back away from the windows.
“I just can’t believe this,” said Handy.
Medics rushed to the parking lot just before 10 Friday morning and found Copeland outside the building had been shot multiple times.
“Anytime something like this happens it does affect you; it could be you, it could be a family member,” said Handy.
While detectives focused their investigation on one car in the parking lot taking swabs of the vehicle and later towing it from the scene, Handy thought about how safe she usually feels inside the building.
“You have like two, three security guards, you walk in, they scan your body, they scan your purse,” said Handy.
That safety inside was shattered outside just feet away by the killer.
“How bold when you have a social service and a police station right there with big windows and you can see as clear as day and you going to do something like this, that is like no respect, nothing and that’s scary,” said Handy.
Mecklenburg County says the building was not on lockdown and not evacuated after the shooting.
Around 11:30 Friday morning, the county closed the resource center to the public.
Employees tell Queen City News they were told they could leave for the day around mid-day, and our crews saw quite a number of them doing that.
One worker said he was just in shock and still trying to wrap his head around everything.
Police say this is still an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 704-432-TIPS to speak with a CMPD homicide detective. To leave information anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
