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The family of a 31-year-old man fatally shot outside the Charlotte Transportation Center in April is now suing the City of Charlotte and a private security firm for wrongful death, claiming negligence and inadequate security.
The lawsuit alleges that city officials and Professional Police Services, Inc. failed to prevent a violent altercation that ultimately led to Qualo Trevon Daniels’ death.
According to court documents, Daniels was at the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC) on April 12 to grab dinner at the food court before celebrating a birthday with friends. Just after 10:20 p.m., a fight reportedly broke out between two other men, identified as Jeremiah Deshawn McCree and Deion Marquise Futrell, both of whom, the lawsuit claims, had prior criminal records.
The complaint states that “Defendants City of Charlotte and Police Services and their agents and employees, including CATS employees and transit-dedicated CMPD officers on site, all failed to intervene and remove Futrell and McCree before the fight escalated.” The fight turned into a shootout, during which Daniels, an uninvolved bystander, was struck in the head by a bullet allegedly fired by Futrell in “self-defense,” according to court documents.
Daniels died from his injuries. The lawsuit describes his death as the “obvious, natural, and foreseeable consequence” of what it claims was the defendants’ negligent security.
In mid-April, McCree was arrested and later indicted on multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In the weeks that followed the deadly shooting, the City of Charlotte announced that all businesses operating within the CTC would be shut down within 90 days, citing safety concerns after multiple deaths occurred at or near the facility in less than five months.
The civil suit brings several claims against the City of Charlotte and Professional Police Services, including wrongful death based on negligence, gross negligence, and unfair and deceptive trade practices. The plaintiff is seeking more than $25,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.
The City of Charlotte has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
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