Laquanta Franchez Young, a 30-year-old Black woman known to her loved ones as "Quanna," was remembered as a joyful and funny person who could light up a room. Her father, Marshall O'Neal, recalled that she was the kind of person who could make you smile even if you were feeling down. Her family described her as the life of their home, someone full of jokes and laughter. Her cousin, Quintina Curry, said they were always together and that Laquanta was a good person who didn't have any enemies and stayed out of trouble. In the time before her death, friends said Laquanta had been speaking out against violence.
The night of Saturday, September 5, 2015, marked the beginning of a devastating Labor Day weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Laquanta’s mother, Sonja Watt, had asked her to go to a party with her, but Laquanta had other plans. Later that night, which stretched into the early morning of September 6, Laquanta was outside a house on Echodale Drive, near Nations Ford Road.
Some reports say she was sitting on the porch when a car drove by and someone inside opened fire into the crowd. Laquanta was struck by the gunfire. Her cousin Quintina Curry rushed to the hospital after hearing the news. Laquanta Young died from her injuries at the hospital.
Her death was part of an exceptionally violent holiday weekend in Charlotte, during which a total of five people were killed and at least seven others were shot in a series of related incidents. The violence, which police later linked to gang activity and a dispute between two groups, also claimed the life of 7-year-old Kevin Rodas, who was shot and killed at a child's birthday party just around the corner from where Laquanta was attacked. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department sources stated that the shootout that sparked the weekend's violence had occurred the previous night, and they believed the shootings that killed Laquanta and another victim might be related.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) launched an investigation into the string of homicides. Despite the chaos of that weekend, detectives sought information from the public, emphasizing that even a small piece of information could be the key to making an arrest. However, the case grew cold. A year after the killings, four of the five homicide cases from that weekend, including Laquanta's, remained unsolved. Her family expressed immense frustration and pain, believing that witnesses were present but were not coming forward with what they knew. "I think people know. They're just not saying anything," her brother, Mario Young, said at a vigil one year after her death.
Laquanta's family has worked tirelessly to keep her memory alive and to seek justice. They have held vigils and participated in marches with organizations like "Stop Killing Our Children" to raise awareness about her unsolved case and to advocate for an end to violence in the community. In March 2020, four and a half years after the shooting, Laquanta's mother, Sonja Watt, visited the street where her daughter was killed for the very first time. "It took courage and 4 1/2 years for me to come out here and walk these streets," she said. The family's plea for answers is constant. "Just waiting on the day a detective calls and says they found the person that took my daughter’s life," Watt shared.
As of March 2020, no arrests have been made in connection with Laquanta Young's murder, and her case remains an open investigation with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. A joint funeral service was held for Laquanta and 7-year-old Kevin Rodas, linking the two innocent victims of that violent weekend in the community's grief. To encourage witnesses to come forward, authorities have offered significant rewards. A Crime Stoppers reward of up to $10,000 is available, and the governor of North Carolina announced an additional $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Police continue to ask anyone with information to call detectives or the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at 704-334-1600.
