By Elisabeth Arriero and Jim Morrill
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man who served time in prison on weapon charges was back in Mecklenburg County jail Sunday night on charges of shooting two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and a 10-year-old girl.
Brandon Jamorris Brewer, 27, was being held in connection with the Sunday afternoon shootings that drew a small army of law enforcement officers to a quiet residential street in northeast Charlotte.
The two officers, Kevin Stafford and Eric Bojaj, were reported in good condition.
The girl, who was not identified, was also reported in good condition.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe called it “a very fortunate day.”
“Lucky day that no one’s dead,” he told reporters at the scene. “Anytime you have something as callous as this that occurs in a neighborhood with innocent people involved, you need to count your lucky stars that no one’s seriously hurt.”
According to police, a woman called 911 shortly after 2 p.m. and said her boyfriend tried to attack her at the home off Tom Hunter Road, just off North Tryon Street. When officers arrived, they couldn’t find her.
Then at 3:34 p.m., a resident of the 400 block of Kingville Drive called to report an armed man was shooting a shotgun in the street.
Monroe said the man had knocked on a door looking for a woman. A 10-year-old girl answered and told him the woman wasn’t there. She closed the door, but the suspect fired through the window, hitting her in the face as she tried to shield a younger sibling. Monroe called her “very courageous.”
Police said when officers arrived again they were sprayed with shotgun pellets. Monroe said one officer was hit in a leg and an arm. The other “took a couple of shots ... to the face and the elbow.”
One house across the street was also hit. The resident, who didn’t want to be identified, said he opened his door at the sound of gunfire only to have police tell him to get back inside the house.
Officers closed off Tom Hunter Road as dozens of squad cars sped to the scene. SWAT teams converged in armored vehicles. A police helicopter circled overhead.
Around 4 p.m., police took Brewer into custody in connection with the shooting.
Both officers and the girl were taken to Carolinas Medical Center and are in good condition, Monroe said.
Monroe said police do not believe any officers fired any shots during the incident.
Lengthy Record
Brewer has a criminal record dating back to at least 2005, including a 2007 felony conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon and a 2006 felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, public records indicate.
Brewer’s other convictions include misdemeanor possession of marijuana up to half an ounce, misdemeanor breaking or entering, and felony hit and run, public records show.
Records show he was released from prison in July 2013 after serving more than five years for robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Sunday was was the first time an officer was shot on duty since January when Shane Page, 42, was shot twice in the midsection by a robbery suspect.
Stafford has been a member of the police department since August 2011; Bojaj since January 2010. Both are currently assigned to patrol in the North Tryon Division.
Copyright 2014 The Charlotte Observer