Nahzir Taylor, a 17-year-old African American male, was shot while getting off a school bus on Lanza Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 30, 2022. He was a student at Rocky River High School. The incident occurred in the afternoon, and Taylor was immediately taken to Atrium CMC with life-threatening injuries. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries two days later on December 2, 2022.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested a
juvenile suspect in connection with the shooting. The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed due to their age, was initially charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and two counts of discharging a firearm into occupied property. Following Taylor's death, CMPD sought to upgrade the charges to first-degree murder. The investigation revealed that the shooting might have stemmed from an argument that began at school earlier that day.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Taylor's family filed a lawsuit against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. The lawsuit claimed that school employees were aware of a threat made against Taylor earlier that day but failed to report it to the police or his parents. According to the lawsuit, a fight had broken out in the school cafeteria, and a student involved in the fight threatened to shoot and kill Taylor in the presence of staff members and other students. The lawsuit alleged that the school was negligent in not taking appropriate action to prevent the fatal shooting.
Security camera footage from the scene showed three individuals running into a car and fleeing the neighborhood after the shooting. The investigation into Taylor's death remains active, with CMPD continuing to seek information from witnesses and the community. The tragic incident has sparked discussions about gun violence and school safety within the Charlotte community, with calls for increased measures to protect students and prevent similar incidents in the future.
