3-year-old hurt in east Charlotte shooting over parking spot

CHARLOTTE — A man is accused of shooting a 3-year-old boy as he was firing shots into a van, and new documents reveal it was all because of a parking spot.

We first reported on the shooting Sunday night. It happened outside of an apartment complex near N. Sharon Amity Road. Neighbors told us they heard gunshots there, but MEDIC found a second scene just a few miles away, where a little boy was hurt.

The boy’s father called 911 on Sunday, saying someone was shooting at him while he was parked at the apartment complex near Sharon Amity Road. The father quickly left and told first responders to meet him at his home on Woodfield Drive.

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Neighbors told our partners at Telemundo what they saw.

“He was scared because they never saw something like that before,” said one woman whose family was home when the victim’s work van pulled in.

The van is still in front of the home with bullet holes visible in its side.

Court documents say James Raeford turned himself in to police. He told officers that he shot at the van because it was parked too close to his car.

According to the court documents, Raeford said the van started driving away, and he fired shots because he thought the driver was trying to run him over.

“Raeford stated he observed the white van back into the parking spot next to his vehicle, leaving only four to five inches of room, and he would not be able to enter his vehicle,” a report in an affidavit said.

The affidavit says Raeford told police that the driver “put his vehicle in drive and drove in his direction ... [and] he thought [the victim] was attempting to run him over.”

Documents say six bullet holes were found in the passenger’s side of the van. One of those bullets hit the lower back of the 3-year-old boy.

The court documents say the trajectory is consistent with Raeford shooting as the van passed him.

One neighbor told us they didn’t know the family well but saw the child in the ambulance, and they’re trying to find out how the 3-year-old is doing now.

The child is expected to survive, according to the court documents. In court on Tuesday, Judge Keith Smith granted Raeford a $500,000 bond. He was still in custody as of Tuesday evening.

(VIDEO: ‘Not going to stop’: Police hunt for clues in shooting of 3-year-old and great-grandfather)