(QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Newly released court documents are shedding light on what led up to a weekend shooting in east Charlotte that left a 3-year-old boy seriously injured, including claims from the suspect that he fired his gun after thinking he was about to be run over.
The incident happened on Sunday, October 19, in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Sloping Oaks Road. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, the child’s father was driving a white work van when it was shot at multiple times.
North Carolina’s largest data center is going up in west Charlotte despite other proposals getting more fanfareThe child, seated in the front passenger seat, was hit by a bullet in the lower back. He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive, authorities said.
Court records state that the suspect, identified as James Raeford, 39, told police he opened fire after the van parked too close to his vehicle and he believed the driver was trying to hit him. He said he intended to shoot at the driver, but struck the passenger side instead.
James Raeford (Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office)Witnesses in the area reported hearing four to five gunshots and said the shooter appeared to reload before running into a nearby apartment.
CMPD officers later found Raeford's gun hidden inside a golf bag at his parents' home in Huntersville, according to court records. Officers also reportedly located his vehicle, which had been backed into a parking spot near the shooting scene.
Experienced pilot killed in small plane crash at Avery County AirportInvestigators said they found several bullet holes on the passenger side of the van, including one that entered through the back of the front passenger seat - the area where the child was sitting.
Raeford is now facing several felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and multiple counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
Raeford's bond was set to $500,000 secured on Tuesday. Detectives said the victims did not know the shooter.
This is a Developing Story. Check back for updates
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