Alysha Johnson Becomes Victim Number 56

Homicide is a rather mundane term. The mid afternoon humidity had just started to ease on this early summer day among the store fronts on Beatties Ford Road. It was just another mundane Monday until a young 17 year old girl named Alysha Johnson, suddenly lost her life. 

Even then, traffic flowed past the fluttering yellow crime scene tape at a leisurely pace as police and CSI team members went about their routines. Two bicyclists peddled down the middle of the street, first one then the other, both oblivious as to what had just happened, after all murders don't usually occur in the middle of the afternoon, even on Beatties Ford Road.

But as word spread, Charlotte's fanatical crazies came out, the same guy with the same "Black Power" flag that shows up at all the metro police district shootings added to the chaos. A rookie reporter named, Xavier Walton with television station WCNC apparently unfamiliar with Charlotte's lunatic fringe, excitedly tweeted a video clip of a "man (who had) just arrived at the scene of a CMPD homicide investigation"  adding "as you can see he's extremely frustrated."

His unchanging profane rant "Ya'll see this Goddamn flag, this the real flag - red black and mother fucking green." Of course Pan African Man is well known to most everyone else, but to Xavier Walton is was news.

The family of the victim, came and left, some stoic, others enraged and screaming, most where simply stunned. A woman told reporters the girl nicknamed "Nettie" was lining at her house with her grandson. Such arrangements seem so common yet to the reporter unusual. As the woman spoke with terms of gone, and shock and just this morning and she was so sweet. CMPD Officers also spoke in hushed tones trying their best to console friends and family.

The news media will of course prey on the family of Alysha Johnson encouraging them to "share her story". Someone will get an exclusive interview of her sobbing mother and grandmothers and aunts, perhaps even a somber father. 

But the real story is, this didn't have to happen.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden had released 16 Year Old Andy Garcia the apparent shooter, just 2 months ago from jail. He was being held on Attempted Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and other charges since February 17th. 

Sheriff McFadden will tell you he is only doing what the courts, the judges and magistrates tell him to do.

But McFadden refuses to call his jail prisoners "inmates" insisting they are called "residents" pointing out he has no authority to keep residents locked up. 

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will tell you she is not to blame, ditto with Mecklenburg County DA Merriweather, City Councilwoman Lawanna Mayfield or CMPD Police Chief Kerr Putney. They all claim it is someone else's fault.

But when have you ever heard any of them speak out supporting stiffer sentences for violent offenders? When has Vi Lyle done anything but support reduced or no bail? The Mayor's agenda is about climate change and social issues, Pride Week, The Arts, Step Competitions and Sister Cities Programs, Traveling to Cabo Mexico was last week's priority. Addressing crime is just something she doesn't do, even when another teenager is gunned down.

Chief Putney thinks we stop the violence if we can just hug it out and get along by settling our differences while singing kumbaya around a camp fire.

Sheriff McFadden thinks everything will work out if we don't report illegals to ICE and instead train the jail's "residents" to be barbers and District Attorney Merriweather blames case load and funding.

The reality, the truth, is of the murder of Alysha Johnson would not have happened if Andy Garcia had been convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year. 

Of Charlotte's 56 recorded homicides so far this year, there have been arrests in 39 of the cases. 32 of those arrested have prior arrests and or convictions, 25 of which were weapons charges, five were violent assault charges other than weapons. Yet 17 cases are still open and apparently unsolved. Charlotte's homicide detectives have logged nearly 1000 hours of overtime in the last 3 months. 

Violent offenders are being released back on to the streets of Charlotte despite the fact that the numbers show they will continue on their path of ever increasing criminality and more and more extreme violence, a path that will eventually lead them to committing murder. 

As long as Vi Lyles and Garry McFadden refuse to get serious about crime and start demanding long prison sentences for violent offenders, we are going to see Charlotte's murder rate surpass 100 year after year from now on.

As the sun began to set, the street lights one by one come to life, and the summer heat turns to a soft breeze. The victim's car towed away, the crime scene tape removed and people go on about their lives. Yes live goes on, after all it was just another mundane Monday. 

Cedar Update:

Additionally, 17 Year Old Juan Zamora and a unnamed 15 year old male have also been charged with the murder of Alysha Johnson. Unconfirmed - Sources indicate that CMPD detectives believe Garcia pulled the trigger shooting the victim 8 times.