David Simpson allegedly shot two men in Charlotte less than two hours after his bond release from Mecklenburg County Jail on an unrelated charge.
David Simpson, 29, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the shooting.
The July 29 shooting occurred at an east Charlotte apartment complex.
Simpson was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail at 12:20 a.m. after posting a $10,000 bond on an unrelated charge of possession of a weapon by a prisoner, according to jail records.
Police said the shooting happened less than two hours later, around 1:45 a.m., leaving one man dead and another seriously wounded.
Officers had already been called to the property twice that night after arguments broke out between the victims and residents over where they had parked.
Surveillance video cited in the documents appears to show Simpson outside with his girlfriend when the victims’ SUV drove past.
Detectives said Simpson went inside, returned carrying what they described as a weighted black bag, and ran toward the victims.
At about 1:40 a.m., two gunshots can be heard. About 30 seconds later, Simpson is seen jogging back toward Apartment F while handling the bag before driving away, according to the affidavit.
Crime scene investigators recovered two spent 7.62-caliber rifle casings, court documents state.
One victim died at the scene. The second made it inside an apartment before collapsing and later underwent surgery.
Surveillance footage cited by law enforcement shows Simpson outside with his girlfriend, later identified as Shakema Scott, when the victims drove by.
Investigators believe Scott helped Simpson flee, and she has been charged with accessory after the fact.
Simpson refused to leave his jail cell for his first scheduled court appearance Friday morning, delaying the hearing until a judge ordered him to appear later that afternoon.
A Mecklenburg County judge on Friday ordered that he be held without bond.
In 2013, Simpson was charged with first-degree murder after shooting Richard Bonds. The two were fighting in a parking lot on Trade Street when it happened. Simpson later took a plea deal: Guilty of voluntary manslaughter and served roughly five years in prison.
He served about five years in prison before being released on parole in 2020.
Since then, he has been arrested several more times, including on multiple charges of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Charlotte defense attorney Tim Cannady, who is not involved in the case, questioned why Simpson remained free despite his 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.
Cannady asked, “So you kind of have to ask the question: Why wasn’t he already in jail?”
Former Charlotte City Council member Tariq Bokhari offered a similar criticism. “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,” Bokhari told WBTV. “It feels like ‘Groundhog Day,’ to be quite honest.”
Channel 9 reviewed jail records and found Simpson has faced nine separate sets of charges within the past three years.
In the viral moment that set off widespread outcry,
two people were shot from behind early Wednesday morning at the Country Club Apartments on Dunlavin Way along Eastway Drive. It stemmed from a parking dispute, per an affidavit.
Police said Simpson was upset the victim parked in a spot in front of his door.
Investigators say surveillance video shows the two victims parking their red Ford Explorer and walking toward their apartment when a man approached from behind without being noticed and fired two shots, striking both victims.
One victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:02 a.m., while the second victim was seriously injured and required surgery, according to a police affidavit.
Simpson is due back in court on Aug. 21.