A man with a history of violent crimes is accused of killing one person and injuring another in Charlotte, North Carolina, less than two hours after being released from jail on bond.
David Simpson, 29, faces charges including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the July 29 shooting. A Mecklenburg County judge ordered on Friday that Simpson be held without bond. He was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail at 12:20 a.m. after posting $10,000 bond on an unrelated charge of possession of a weapon by a prisoner. Police reported the shooting occurred around 1:45 a.m., resulting in one fatality and one serious injury.
According to court records, the shooting followed a dispute over a parking space. Surveillance video cited in charging documents appears to show Simpson with his girlfriend before the victims' SUV drove past. Detectives stated Simpson went inside, retrieved what they described as a weighted black bag, and ran toward the victims. Approximately 10 minutes later, two gunshots were heard on the video. Simpson was then seen jogging back toward his apartment with the bag before leaving the scene in a vehicle. Investigators recovered two spent 7.62-caliber rifle casings.
One victim died at the scene, while the second victim was taken to an apartment before collapsing and subsequently undergoing surgery.
Court documents reveal Simpson has prior convictions, including pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2015 for a 2013 fatal shooting. He was paroled in 2020. Since his release, he has been arrested multiple times, including on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon. He also had pending charges this year for possession of a firearm by a felon, resisting a public officer, and misdemeanor larceny.
Charlotte defense attorney Tim Cannady, who is not involved in the case, questioned why Simpson was not in custody given his criminal history. "If you look at his history, it seems like this gentleman has picked up just about every year up to this point some kind of a violent crime," Cannady told WCNC. "So you kind of have to ask the question: Why wasn't he already in jail?"
Former Charlotte City Council member Tariq Bokhari echoed similar concerns, stating, "We know what these top 1% of repeat offenders are going to do, and for some reason, we just don't have the appetite to take action."
Simpson refused to appear for his initial court hearing on Friday, delaying it until a judge ordered him to appear later that afternoon. His girlfriend, Shakema Scott, has been charged with accessory after the fact. Simpson is scheduled to return to court on August 21.