A person is in custody after a rock with hate speech and threats was thrown through a window at a northwest Charlotte daycare on Monday, police said.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers along with the FBI took a person into custody and are not searching for anyone else at this time.
Earlier in the day, police said the case is believed to be connected to the shooting of a park ranger that happened last month.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Monday’s incident happened around 8:40 a.m. at the Marizetta Kerry Child Development Center, which is on Beatties Ford Road near Cindy Lane. Police said the rock had hate speech and various threats toward children.
In a news conference, investigators confirmed they have evidence linking Monday’s case to the shooting of the Mecklenburg County park ranger.
Police told Channel 9 that shooting happened Nov. 27 near the entrance of the Charlotte Friendship Sportsplex, a county park in north Charlotte.
The park is located within walking distance of the daycare. The proximity and evidence found today allowed them to connect the cases, officers said.
The ranger was shot in one of his extremities while locking up for the night, Maj. Brian Foley told Channel 9 last month. He’s expected to recover from his injuries, Foley said.
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The motive behind that shooting was not released.
“The main point I want to bring around today is that it’s critical we get the public’s help on these two incidents close proximity,” Maj. Melanie Peacock said in a news conference on Monday afternoon. “It’s very likely someone in the community might know who’s responsible for this and we need those people to step forward and call us and let us know what they find.”
Investigators are still looking for a suspect in both crimes, and asked anyone with information on who may have committed either act to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Tips can be made anonymously.
‘It’s past crazy’
Daquan Jeter says he left work early — rushing to pick up his son from daycare on Monday — after receiving an alert on his phone.
“I seen a link with WSOC-TV on it, so I thought it was like a spam message or something, then I opened it, and it said something about a guy throwing some thing into Marizetta Kerry.”
That’s the daycare where Jeter’s 2-year-old son Daylen goes.
Thrown into the building was a rock with hate speech and threats.
“That’s what really got my mind spinning,” Jeter said. “A kid can’t do nothing to nobody, so for somebody to do that to where it’s mostly full of kids and elderly people, and people who can’t defend themselves, to me, it’s past crazy.”
CMPD said the case is believed to be connected to a shooting last month where a park ranger was hurt at Charlotte Friendship Park less than a mile away.
“The first incident that happened we thought was probably an isolated incident, because this kind of incident is not common,” Peacock said. “Obviously, with what happened this morning, that accelerates things.”
Police said they’re processing evidence from the daycare and scouring the area for surveillance video.
Channel 9 noticed security cameras around the daycare. Some construction workers working across the street said they began their day around 8 a.m., but didn’t notice anything suspicious.
Jeter says he isn’t sure whether he’ll send young Daylen back to the school until a suspect is in custody.
“I probably ain’t, he probably is not gonna come back here,” he said.
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