Family mourns teen who was killed at northwest Charlotte Halloween party

CHARLOTTE — When shooting started at a northwest Charlotte Halloween party, most of the kids in attendance ran in one direction.

Some of them tried to hide behind two homes and sources said that unfortunately a stray bullet caught up with the victim.

“I’ve been at a loss for words,” said Leondra Garrett, a family friend of the victim. “I still don’t know what to say.”

It has been a difficult 24 hours for the family and friends of 17-year-old Amari Cooper.

“Bright, bubbly young lady grabbed life by the horns,” Garrett said.

But early Saturday morning, the West Charlotte High School student lost her life. Garrett is a community activist and close family friend who watched Cooper grow up.

“I screamed all night,” Garrett said. “I just got my voice back. The tears come and go as this is heavy and hard ‘cause it’s so close to home.”

Neighbors told Channel 9 the Halloween party occurred at a home on Old Plank Road. Garrett saw Cooper before she went to the party.

“She was excited because I had took her Wednesday to get her boots and you know all the stuff she needed for her and her best friend,” said Garrett.

Garrett said Cooper’s younger sister was with her and tended to her after she got shot.

The 17-year-old was a mother and honor student and even owned her own hairstyling business. All those dreams are now gone.

“My question is, what are we gonna do about it? We can’t keep talking about this and I’ve said this time and time again. Yes, we have alternatives to violence, but we got an election. We need to think about who we’re putting into office,” Garrett said.

Police have not made an arrest and as far as we know, they are still trying to determine what sparked the violence. They are also looking for community help and if you have any information that will help resolve this case, police ask that you give them a call.

If you would like to donate to Cooper’s GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses, click here.

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