Two teenagers were arrested in a series of seemingly random drive-by shootings this week that killed a man and wounded two other people, police in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced Thursday.
The five shootings, which occurred between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, appeared to be linked because they involved random shots fired from a vehicle at other vehicles or bicyclists, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Chief Tonya Arrington said at a news conference Tuesday.
On Thursday, officers patrolling the shooting scenes noticed a suspicious vehicle and a 16-year-old boy inside it with a stolen gun.
He was interviewed and arrested, and an 18-year-old man was arrested later Thursday, police said. No other suspects were at large.
"I'll just be honest with you, it was good, old-fashioned police work. Our officers in the right areas at the right time, know what to look for," Arrington said. "It’s just one of those gut instincts that you have sometimes as an officer."
The younger suspect had plans to continue shooting people, Arrington said, without elaborating.
"We have reason to believe that the 16-year-old juvenile intended on continuing his violent crime spree," she said. "Thanks to the great work of our officers and detectives, they were able to prevent additional harm to innocent victims."
Police did not identify the younger suspect. He will be charged with first-degree murder and has been transferred to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, police said.
The 18-year-old was identified as Carlos Roberto Diaz. He will be charged with first-degree murder, felony conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of attempted murder, two counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle, two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, police said.
It was unclear Thursday afternoon whether Diaz had an attorney.
Officials were still investigating how many guns were used. Police did not specify who was driving.
The first shooting occurred about 1 a.m. Mustaffa Muhammad, 58, was fatally shot in a vehicle driving northbound on Statesville Avenue, police said.
Minutes later, police responded to the intersection of Lasalle Street and Newland Road, where a bicyclist was shot at but not injured, police said.
A short time later, officers said, a vehicle was hit by gunfire on Lasalle Street near Interstate 77. And then, a group told police they were fired at in the 2100 block of Catherine Simmons Drive. Officers found a female victim who was inside a nearby home when she was struck by gunfire, police said.
The next shooting occurred in the Steel Creek area, where a bicyclist was shot and wounded in the 100 block of Hillary Circle, police said. While they were canvassing the area, officers found a house had been struck by gunfire.
Arrington said police have forensically tied three shootings to the crime spree.
She said that investigators don't believe any gang ties are linked to the shooting spree and that the motive remains unclear.
"We’re still asking the same questions — why would two juveniles engage in this type of behavior on random victims?" she said. "You know, it’s one thing when we have a shooting spree between two, maybe rival gangs, neighborhood gangs, beefs. But this is ... just completely unusual."