Reginald Leverette

Reginald Leverette was a bright and giving 17-year-old with a promising future ahead of him. A junior at West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, Reginald was an honors student who excelled in his studies. His grandmother, Barbara Anderson, remembered him as an aspiring architect and artist who was always willing to help others, often tutoring his peers in math. "Everyone loved little Reggie, and Reggie loved everyone," she recalled. He was a beloved member of his family and community, known for his kind and generous spirit.

On the afternoon of April 9, 2010, Reginald's life was cut tragically short. Around 2:30 p.m., just a block from his school, he was involved in an argument and a fistfight with two other young men. Reginald managed to get away and was walking along the 2100 block of Catherine Simmons Avenue in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. It was then, in broad daylight, that a car, described by police as a green-colored Mercury Marquis, pulled up beside him. Investigators with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department believe the two men from the earlier fight were inside. They fired three shots. One bullet struck Reginald in the chest, and he fell into some bushes, where he died at the scene.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Detectives interviewed witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting, but no one was able to provide a clear description of the shooters. The primary clue was the getaway car, which witnesses identified as a green Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Marquis with tinted windows. Police circulated this description, hoping for a lead that would point them to those responsible for the senseless killing.

A potential break in the case came on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers attempted to pull over a car for an expired inspection on Central Avenue in East Charlotte. The driver refused to stop, leading police on a high-speed chase. Investigators learned that the car might be connected to Reginald's murder, believing it was the same vehicle seen on Catherine Simmons Avenue on the day of the shooting. The pursuit wound through Charlotte's west side before ending on Summit Avenue in the Wesley Heights neighborhood, where the driver stopped the car and fled on foot. A passenger remained in the vehicle.

Police took both the driver and the passenger into custody for questioning. The passenger was later released. The driver, whose name was not publicly released, was arrested for failure to stop for police. While he remained under investigation in connection with Reginald's homicide, no charges were ever announced linking him directly to the murder. The case grew cold as the years passed, leaving a family and a community searching for answers and justice.

Reginald Leverette's death was a profound loss for all who knew him. His family was left to mourn a young man full of potential, an aspiring artist and architect whose dreams would never be realized. The case remains unsolved, a painful open wound for his loved ones. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department continues to seek information that could lead to an arrest. A reward of up to $1,000 was offered for information through Crime Stoppers. Anyone with knowledge about the murder of Reginald Leverette is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600, in the hope that a new tip might finally bring his killers to justice.