Gun expert weighs in on how 150+ shots fired ‘in seconds’ at Charlotte home, killing 3-year-old boy

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – A 3-year-old boy was shot and killed in his sleep overnight. 

Surveillance video shows two cars pull up on Richard Rozelle Drive, and you can see at least three people fire nearly 150 shots into the home where the young boy lived.

The boy’s 5-year-old sister was also shot but police say she is expected to be okay.

This incident is the latest tragic occurrence in less than a week, where children have been killed by gun violence.

Gun violence has been plaguing the Charlotte area much too often. FOX 46 spoke to a local gun expert to find out how these suspects could’ve fired nearly 150 rounds in the span of just ten to twelve seconds, without using an assault rifle.

Round after round, police estimate nearly 150 bullets were fired at the North Charlotte home.

“It’s so dangerous,” said Hyatt Gun Shop Owner Larry Hyatt. “Anyone in the house is at risk.”

In the video, the suspects spend about 10-12 seconds continuously pulling their triggers.

“The guy that got out did not reload the weapon,” Hyatt said. “And shot until it was empty, looked like 15-20 rounds. He did not reload, so they just shot and drove off.”

The question now is, how could nearly 150 rounds be fired in such a short time, and what kind of guns were these suspects likely using?

“It doesn’t look like a rifle from the video,” said Hyatt. “It looks like handguns with a high capacity magazine.”

While the video quality isn’t completely clear, the stance of the shooter outside the car hints that a handgun was used.

“Modern handguns like the Glock, which is the most famous gun in the world, have a 17 round magazine, plus one in the chamber,” said Hyatt. “So it can hold 18 rounds and shoots as fast you pull the trigger.”

At one point, you can see sparks flying, which Hyatt says indicates a bullet may have hit their own car.

“Right there it looks like someone shot holes in the roof of the car,” Hyatt said. “And it looks like the driver is also shooting, so two to three people are firing.”

The bullet casings could be the best clue when it comes to tracking down the weapons.

“There may be empty casings outside,” Hyatt said. “And they can find what kind of gun and what caliber and get further information.”

Hyatt says incidents like this are what’s causing numbers for self-defense classes to be at an all-time high.