Inset: Shyhied Ivey (Mecklenburg County Sheriff”s Office). Background: A section of the 2700 block of Columbus Circle in Charlotte, North Carolina (Google Maps).
In a chilling turn of events in North Carolina, a seemingly harmless prank spiraled into violence when a woman attempted to deceive her boyfriend into thinking she was unfaithful. This ill-conceived joke quickly escalated as the boyfriend, gripped by rage, tracked down the woman and her friends, ultimately opening fire on their vehicle, according to local authorities.
Shyhied Ivey, 20, now faces serious charges, including five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, domestic violence, and illegal possession of a firearm due to his status as a convicted felon. These charges were confirmed in an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
Following the incident, Ivey was detained at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center on Wednesday, underscoring the severity of the allegations against him.
The trouble began on the night of April 4, around 11:30 p.m., when the woman was out with four friends at the Camp North End shopping center in Charlotte. After grabbing something to eat, the group decided to head back to the 2700 block of Columbus Circle in the city. It was there that the woman and one of her friends concocted their ill-fated prank.
Having been in a relationship with Ivey for about five months, the woman was aware that he could track her location via his phone. Harnessing this knowledge, she orchestrated a ploy where a male friend would call Ivey, pretending to be romantically involved with her. However, the prank’s execution led to dire consequences that no one could have anticipated.
The woman and Ivey had been dating for about five months, and he was able to track her location on his phone, the affidavit states. The prank was for the woman’s male friend to call Ivey “and pretend to be cheating” with her.
They reportedly did it, and once again, the friends decided to leave the location. They were driving on Berryhill Road in the city when the defendant “began following” and tailgating them in his black Nissan sedan, according to authorities.
Ivey had called his girlfriend “angry and was driving recklessly attempting to get them to pull over,” police said. At one point, the woman “described seeing the defendant fire what appeared to be handgun into the air,” according to the court document.
Some time later, when the friends pulled up to an intersection in their own Nissan — a red Altima — Ivey allegedly pulled up next to them and fired three shots from a gun into their car before driving off.
The male friend who reportedly made the earlier call also recounted receiving a text from Ivey at about 1:32 a.m. on Sunday saying, “stop playin wimme bro.”
Officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported meeting with the friends about 10 minutes later at the Columbus Circle address.
Police said traffic camera showed that at 11:38 p.m. on April 4, the black car pulled up next to the red one and “three bright bursts” could be seen coming from the black Nissan, shattering glass in the red car.
Police made no mention of anyone being physically hurt.
Authorities noted that Ivey is a convicted felon. He is expected to appear in court on April 23.
