704 Unfiltered

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released body camera footage Tuesday from a deadly police shooting last August in south Charlotte. 

The video from officer Brandon Graham was released, showing the moments that led up to the shooting of Brenda Donahue. Multiple officers were attempting to serve an involuntary commitment order for Donahue when she fired shots, striking officer Lauren Ehlke. Ehlke was not injured during the incident, but the bullet was lodged in her camera. Because of the damage, none of the footage from Ehlke's camera was recovered. 

CMPD was called to a home on St. Croix Lane around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2022, to serve an involuntary commitment order to take Donahue to a mental health facility.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cmpd-bodycam-footage-released-deadly-shooting-brenda-donahue/275-87391726-8ea4-43ff-8a52-be91d0d4c00d

On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers completed an interview with their ninth candidate for their head coaching position, and a team source tells WCNC Charlotte that the organization will now conduct a second round of interviews.

Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore interviewed with the team in person on Tuesday, two days after losing to the 49ers in the NFC Divisional round.

That rounded out a candidate pool nearing double digits with Moore joining Sean Payton, Mike Kafka, Ken Dorsey, Ejiro Evero, Shane Steichen, Frank Reich, Jim Caldwell, and interim coach Steve Wilks.

Carolina has satisfied the NFL's Rooney Rule by interviewing two external, minority candidates, so can make a hire at any time.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/panthers-will-hold-second-round-of-interviews-with-candidates/275-35d8fefd-ed8d-4c67-992c-a16d9c35765c

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

A local church community is seeking solutions in addressing the affordable housing crisis in the Queen City.

First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte hosted a faith-in-housing summit Sunday afternoon. It brought together several affordable housing experts from the area.

As the Charlotte population continues to grow so does the need for affordable housing.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/low-cost-rental-housing-in-charlotte-is-fast-disappearing-church-community-addressing-affordable-housing-queen-city/275-671939fd-7e2e-4638-868b-486a1364eff0

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting in northeast Charlotte Saturday afternoon that sent two people to the hospital.

Officers responded to a home along Billings Park Drive, not far from Back Creek Church Road, around 1 p.m. Saturday. According to CMPD, officers were en route to serve involuntary commitment papers for someone at the home. 

Involuntary commitment papers can be used to authorize the transport of a person who may be experiencing a mental health crisis, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cmpd-officer-involved-shooting-under-investigation-northeast-charlotte/275-d932fcd4-1fbe-4319-9aa1-2e63ade5010f

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

Charlotte Football Club defender Anton Walkes died early Thursday morning following a boating accident in South Florida, the club announced.

Walkes was 25.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Walkes was operating a vessel on Wednesday around 3 p.m. near the Miami Marine Stadium basin before it made contact with another vessel on the water. Officials said Walkes was found unconscious and transported to shore by Miami Fire Rescue where he received CPR. Walkes died Thursday morning, officials said. 

It is unclear at this time what type of watercraft Walkes was operating at the time of the crash. 

“Everyone at Tepper Sports & Entertainment is devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes. He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met,” Owner David Tepper, said. “Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch. He will be greatly missed by many and our thoughts and prayers are with Anton’s family during this heartbreaking time. The Club offers its full support to all those impacted during this period of mourning.”  

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/soccer/charlotte-fc/charlotte-fc-south-florida-death-anton-walkes/275-83a0fc7a-6108-4523-b3b0-67be7e9f3de6

The third day of a trial involving a former Myers Park High School student's alleged sexual assault wrapped up Thursday in which a judge granted a motion from the City of Charlotte to drop claims against the city in the lawsuit.

The motion was granted on the basis that Doe's lawyer could not prove the City of Charlotte or the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was made aware or had notice that a student resource officer wasn't taking cases or reports of sexual misconduct seriously so this behavior could not be corrected.

The trial's third day also saw Jane Doe take the stand to testify. 

She accuses Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools of not properly investigating her claims of sexual assault. The judge said there was enough evidence for a jury to decide if this is true.

This all comes after a full day of testimony from Jane Doe, herself. For hours Thursday morning, Doe’s lawyers had her detail her alleged sexual assault, and CMS‘s response, or lack thereof.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/myers-park-sexual-assault-lawsuit-news-charlotte/275-8231b017-8c6b-419b-97e8-a3913c356278

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

A jury of eight people was seated in the trial of a former Myers Park High School student against the city of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education.

'The trial's second day saw Jane Doe's mother, identified in court as Mrs. Doe, take the stand to testify. The defense counsel for CMS questioned Mrs. Doe about the timeline of events after the November 2015 incident and what the family did. Mrs. Doe testified said her daughter was hospitalized for three days following the incident and never got a call from Myers Park in the days after to receive a formal statement from her daughter. 

CMS's attorney followed up on this allegation by asking Mrs. Doe about an alleged phone call the Myers Park school resource officer, Bradley Leak, gave to her following her daughter's initial hospital visit for a sexual assault examination. 

According to court records Leak, claims he called Mrs. Doe to go to the hospital and Mrs. Doe refused his offer. 

Mrs. Doe said in her testimony in the hours after the incident she was solely focused on her daughter's mental and physical well-being. 

CMS's attorney's continued to try and establish a pattern of Mrs. Doe barring the school from contacting or speaking with Jane Doe.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/myers-park-sexual-assault-lawsuit-news-charlotte/275-8231b017-8c6b-419b-97e8-a3913c356278

The revelation that classified materials were discovered at think tank offices formerly used by President Joe Biden, as well as at his Delaware home, has prompted questions on how the circumstances compare with the seizure last year of hundreds of documents marked as classified from Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of former President Donald Trump.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the matter.

A side-by-side look at the similarities and differences between the two situations:

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/trump-biden-classified-documents-comparison/507-12d7c3fb-9fed-421b-84a9-6efd0acb7ef7

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

The investigation into a Charlotte woman's death in Mexico is ongoing, and prosecutors say they are aiming to extradite a suspect to the country.

During a media conference held by the Baja California Sur Attorney General's Office, Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, the state's attorney general, was asked to comment on the investigation surrounding Shanquella Robinson's death in October 2022 in the state.

de la Rosa Anaya said they are investigating this as femicide and that they are focused on locating an unnamed suspect. The attorney general says they have worked with Interpol to put out a red notice, which is an advisory to law enforcement across the globe to be on the lookout for a suspect.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/mexican-prosecutor-speaks-on-shanquella-robinson-investigation-death-charlotte-woman-killed-in-mexico-update-baja-california-sur/275-72553282-4708-4330-88c1-22aa864f03b8

Cabarrus County Schools said its students are seeing major mental health problems. They’re ranging from a lack of healthy coping skills to mental health hospitalizations.

At a school board meeting Tuesday, staff talked about the resources they have and the resources they still need to help students' well-being.

"Mental health is real, and our students are vastly affected by it," Keshia Sandidge, Cabarrus County School Board Member, said. "And I don't think we pay enough attention. I'm not saying the district, I'm just talking about as a whole people."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cabarrus-county-schools-students-mental-health-issues/275-92f1916e-e266-418c-b864-420fdb8d2b8f

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

Police took two teens into custody on Monday after they say the teens stole a car with a four-year-old inside.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to a kidnapping call around 6:15 p.m. on Monday in east Charlotte. A caller told officials that her car was stolen with a 4-year-old inside.

Officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop the driver, but they refused to stop. The driver crashed the vehicle near the intersection of North Graham Street and Rumple Road around 7 p.m.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cmpd-2-teens-arrested-after-stealing-car-with-4-year-old-in-backseat-charlotte-north-carolina/275-baca48a9-42a2-4699-8024-1def1bb09325

 Lawyers for President Joe Biden found more classified documents at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, than previously known, the White House acknowledged Saturday.

White House lawyer Richard Sauber said in a statement that a total of six pages of classified documents were found during a search of Biden's private library. The White House had said previously that only a single page was found there.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-classified-documents-found-at-home/507-4dee8cb6-0b59-4767-9559-0dc3f58365dd

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

 A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.

Hours after dark, scores of onlookers crowded around the crash site near the airport in the resort town of Pokhara as rescue workers combed the wreckage on the edge of the cliff and in the ravine below. Officials suspended the search for the four missing people overnight and planned to resume looking Monday.

Local resident Bishnu Tiwari, who rushed to the crash site near the Seti River to help search for bodies, said the rescue efforts were hampered by thick smoke and a raging fire.

“The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn’t help him,” Tiwari said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/nepal-plane-crashes-during-landing/507-01a14296-c6d3-4b78-887a-2a45b96bea39

A man was pronounced dead after a shooting in east Charlotte on Sunday.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, a shooting happened on Barrington Drive near Montego Drive on Sunday.

A male victim was found at the scene and transported to a local hospital. The man was pronounced dead at the hospital.

CMPD is further investigating this shooting. No further details are available at this time.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/1-dies-in-shooting-in-east-charlotte-homicide-cmpd-charlotte-north-carolina-barrington-drive/275-2226944a-fee3-4893-8fac-514c019bc8a3

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

Charlotte's crime statistics for 2022 have been shared, showing that while the overall crime rate was up last year, violent crime has trended downward.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released its 2022 End-of-Year Report on Thursday, showing that overall crimes were up by 3%, with property crime also up 6%. However, an encouraging note from Chief Johnny Jennings highlighted a 5% decrease in violent crime last year. Still, Jennings promised CMPD would still fight to keep it down.

"A 5% decrease in violent crime is encouraging, but we will continue to remain laser-focused on deterring these serious offenses in 2023," said Jennings. "There will always be violent crime to fight. Recruiting will continue to be a challenge as it is across the country. But I am incredibly proud and grateful for the men and women of CMPD who answer the call to serve each and every day."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/charlotte-cmpd-crime-2022-trends/275-c6deea9c-1a43-49d5-b556-c57cb9bbdb04

Delays and cancellations among flights across the United States were minimal on Thursday, a day after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed, grounding U.S. air traffic and leading to thousands of stranded travelers.

There were 636 delays into, within or out of the U.S. as of Thursday morning, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. There were 82 cancellations.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/airline-delays-cancellations-after-outage/507-ae802c00-73b1-45c7-8e27-dd02944bba75

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

About 85 senior residents were displaced on Christmas Day after their apartment building flooded. Now, many of them worry they're on the brink of being on the street.

The living facility, Magnolia Senior Apartments, and the city of Charlotte are paying for them to stay in hotels through the end of January, but they don’t know what will happen next.

Wednesday night was the first time many of the residents got any sort of answers from management when they had an in-person meeting at the hotel. However, residents are still feeling confused and left out in the cold. 

“I had to cry to the maintenance man last week, 'Please get my oxygen tank, I need my oxygen,'” displaced resident Denise Watson told WCNC Charlotte's Julia Kauffman.

Most residents are staying at a hotel nearby with the few things they were able to grab while being evacuated.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/residents-homes-christmas-flood-charlotte-magnolia-senior-apartments/275-d1a6de74-f1e9-4480-977c-59c36273d187

Officials are preparing to dedicate Charlotte's new aviation museum to a heroic pilot.

Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger is credited with saving more than 150 lives after safely landing a US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in New York City in 2009, a feat deemed the "Miracle on the Hudson". In fact, that same plane is among the more than 45 historic aircraft that will be featured on the campus. 

The new aviation museum facility was built on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Initially founded in 1992, the museum is dedicated to aviation in the Carolinas.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/charlotte-aviation-museum-captain-sully-hero-pilot/275-8f5b5649-8f36-4904-884a-75c6c24640ec

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden's former institute, the White House said Monday.

Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said “a small number of documents with classified markings” were discovered as Biden's personal attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center, where the president kept an office after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a “locked closet” in the office, Sauber said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/doj-reviewing-possible-classified-documents-biden-center/507-ea9b02e6-04e3-4b07-a599-e39bb0759040

Nearly a dozen shots were fired when two groups got into an argument at Frankie's Fun Park in Huntersville on Jan. 6, police said. 

Huntersville police responded to Frankie's a little after 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6 for a reported shooting in the parking lot. Responding officers were told two groups got into an argument when one of the groups left the park. As the vehicle the suspects got into left the parking lot, the suspect(s) fired at least 11 gunshots toward the entrance, hitting two vehicles and the building.

Multiple adults and children in nearby cars were "narrowly missed" by the shots, according to police. One person inside a car that was shot was injured by shattered glass. None of the vehicles that were hit by gunfire were connected to the argument, police said. 

Huntersville police released a surveillance video Monday that showed four suspects leaving Frankie's Fun Park at the time of the shooting. They also released photos of a dark-colored sedan with a tarp or some other covering on the rear driver's side window.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/frankies-fun-park-huntersville-north-carolina-shooting-investigation/275-db80ad85-b9e9-4f21-90ca-8e099d85cae5

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!