Charlotte Police, QuickTrip Partner For ‘Exchange Zones’

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and QuikTrip convenience stores are partnering to create safe meeting spots for online classified sales and transactions at 14 Charlotte locations, CMPD announced Thursday.

The announcement comes one week after CMPD arrested and charged a third suspect they say was involved in the murder of Zachary Joseph Finch, a 21-year-old baseball player who was gunned down in June while trying to buy a cell phone. "He would want something positive to come out of this," Finch's mother, Tara, said Thursday.

As part of the new “exchange zones” partnership, area QuikTrip locations will have two parking spaces marked red for easy visibility as a meeting spot. The parking spaces will be monitored with 24-hour surveillance security video and will be periodically checked by CMPD officers.

“The goal of our exchange zones is to create a safe monitoring spot for online shoppers to exchange purchased items,” CMPD tweeted Oct 26.

The exchange zones will be located at these locations:

• 127 E. Woodlawn Rd., Charlotte, NC 28217
• 6721 Albemarle Rd., Charlotte, NC 28212
• 7205 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28216
• 2326 Sandy Porter Rd., Charlotte, NC 28273
• 11230 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28262
• 7115 S. Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273
• 3025 Wilkinson Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208
• 116 Clanton Rd., Charlotte, NC 28217
• 3206 Eastway Dr., Charlotte, NC 28205
• 5209 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28212
• 4937 Sunset Rd., Charlotte, NC 28269
• 4200 Brookshire Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28216
• 5708 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28213
• 10910 Golf Links Dr., Charlotte 28213

According to SafeTrade, an online program aimed at improving the safe exchange from internet classifieds, 119 people have been murdered in the last 10 years while attempting a commercial transaction initiated through Craigslist.

Finch was shot midday June 18 in the front yard of an apartment building on Farmer Street in west Charlotte as he tried to buy a cellphone found on Letgo, an ecommerce app, WSOC reported.

Two 15-year-olds were charged for his murder, though authorities withheld their names because of their ages. On Oct. 19, CMPD arrested 17-year-old Demonte McCain as the third suspect wanted for Finch’s murder. He has been charged with murder, attempted robber with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created by friends of the Finch family to help pay for funeral costs, reward money for tips leading to arrests and a scholarship in his memory. That campaign has collected more than $25,000.

Photo via GoFundMe