DoorDash driver says he shot teen trying to steal his car in Uptown

CHARLOTTE — The man accused of shooting and killing a teen in Uptown Charlotte Wednesday night will remain in jail without bond, despite saying the shooting was in response to his car being stolen.

CMPD is charging Keshawn Boyd with first-degree murder for the killing of 15-year-old Matthias Crockett in the 400 block of 8th Street.

In a news conference after the homicide, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the shooting happened after a confrontation.

“Unfortunately, another tragic life was lost in our jurisdiction,” Major Dave Johnson said.

Channel 9 was the only news station in court Thursday when new details about the confrontation were shared. Boyd told investigators he was working as a DoorDash driver Wednesday night. After he left food outside a door, he said he saw Crockett get in his car and another man behind him.

Boyd told police he saw the teen trying to place the car in gear and suspected he and the other man with him had weapons. Police say Boyd confessed to shooting Crockett. While the affidavit says Crockett was unarmed, in court, the DA’s office says a gun was found near the victim. Crockett was inside Boyd’s car when he was shot and killed.

Boyd’s public defender tried to argue he was under duress because his car was being stolen and the shooting was in self-defense. He said Boyd has no prior convictions and is not a risk to the public. DoorDash was one of four jobs Boyd is currently working.

Judge Matt Newton sided with the DA’s office for now in keeping Boyd locked up with no bond. He said it was out of an abundance of caution. He says Boyd will have the chance to make arguments for this to change in the future.

In court, the DA’s office said the person who placed the DoorDash order witnessed the shooting and called 911.

Family and anti-violence advocates respond

Family members of Crockett are trying to process what happened Wednesday night. T

Crockett’s stepfather says seven shots were fired and the use of force was overkill

“My son didn’t weigh big and is not going to argue with someone,” stepfather CQ Castle said. “He barely talks. If he was caught doing what he was doing, you could have held him until the police came. You could have punched my son up a little bit.”

Crockett’s family says he fell into the wrong crowd. They want the other person who was with him at the time of the shooting to be held accountable

“If you know who this person is, let the police know,” his grandmother, Cheryl Rodden, said. “Let the police know. Please.”

Annette Albright knew Boyd as a student from her time working at Harding High School. She says his being held without bail is inappropriate.

“I think it is very unfair. I think you have to look at both sides of the situation,” Albright said. “Keyshawn was out, not out committing a crime. Keyshawn was out working and Charlotte seems to have become a city that’s very tolerant of offenders. They have a lot of empathy and compassion for criminals, and not so much for the victim.”

She says the shooting should be a wake-up call for Charlotte and state lawmakers to keep pursuing policies aimed at reducing juvenile crime.

“It is very unfortunate that this happened to this young man, that he is no longer with us but people are afraid and they’re tired,” she said. “They’re tired of their livelihoods being shattered as victims.”

Self Defense?

Channel 9′s Glenn Counts spoke with gun store and range owner Larry Hyatt, who said there are legal limits to what you can do to protect your property.

“Self-protection is to protect ourselves, protect our lives; it’s not to protect our car, it’s not to protect our computer; those are objects,” Hyatt said.

The main criteria under state law is fear of death or “serious bodily harm to himself or herself or another when using defense force that is intended or likely to cause death.”

In this case, the victim would be the lawful occupant of a home, motor vehicle, or workplace. In other words, they would have had to have been inside the vehicle.

“People are always wanting to know, ‘What if someone carjacks my car or breaks into my house? Can I shoot them?’ The answer is: probably not,” Hyatt explained.

Hyatt went on to say if you are not directly threatened, it’s not worth the mental anguish to pull the trigger.

“I have talked to people who have had to use their firearm for self-protection and actually took someone’s life protecting their life and their family. And they never get over it; it is a lifelong burden that they are going to carry,” Hyatt elaborated.

(VIDEO: 2 people shot in south Charlotte, MEDIC says)

2 people shot in south Charlotte, MEDIC says

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