Trial begins for CMPD officer accused in death of pedestrian + Man arrested for impersonating police

Drew Nantais
·2 min read

Hey, everyone! Drew here. It’s Friday Jr.!

In a new series, The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer investigate the state’s largest agricultural industry.

After years of growth, poultry farms now raise more than 1 billion chickens and turkeys a year, generating billions of pounds of untreated waste.

Read Big Poultry today at charlotteobserver.com/bigpoultry.

1. Police instructor: Officer driving too fast when he killed pedestrian on Morehead Street

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Phillip Barker was driving more than 100 mph down Morehead Street when his patrol car struck and killed pedestrian James Michael Short on July 8, 2017. Barker’s manslaughter trial began Monday.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Phillip Barker was driving more than 100 mph down Morehead Street when his patrol car struck and killed pedestrian James Michael Short on July 8, 2017. Barker’s manslaughter trial began Monday.

The trial for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who was driving more than 100 mph when he struck and killed a pedestrian got underway today.

Prosecutors say officer Phillip Barker was violating department policy when the incident happened. Barker’s former driving instructor at the police academy Tommie Horton said he should have shown “due regard” for the safety of others in the 35 mph zone.

Michael Gordon reports on the start of the trial.

2. Charlotte police say man stole badge, impersonated officer in South End, uptown

Representatives of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told media on Thursday, Dec. 8, Stephen Burke was arrested early that morning for impersonating a police officer.
Representatives of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told media on Thursday, Dec. 8, Stephen Burke was arrested early that morning for impersonating a police officer.

A man was arrested earlier this morning for impersonating a police officer, according to CMPD.

Stephen Burke Bridges is accused of stealing a badge from an officer and faces up to six charges including carrying a gun and obtaining property under false pretenses.

Genna Contino shares more details from the incident.

3. Second teen arrested in killing of CMS student woh’d just gotten off his school bus

A CMS student, 17-year-old Nahzir Taylor, was shot in the 2000 block of Lanza Drive, after leaving the school bus.
A CMS student, 17-year-old Nahzir Taylor, was shot in the 2000 block of Lanza Drive, after leaving the school bus.

Another arrest has been made in connection with the killing of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student.

17-year-old Nahzir Taylor was shot in the 2000 block of Lanza Drive in east Charlotte on Nov. 30 shortly after getting of the bus from school. Taylor was a student at Rocky River High School.

Joe Marusak provides more details on today’s arrest.

4. Charlotte’s economic mobility was the nation’s worst. A new tool measures progress.

Dee O’Dell, right, Opportunity Task Force Co-Chair addresses the audience as Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, left, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Co-Chair, looks on during the announcement of the Leading on Opportunity report about intergenerational economic mobility, and the next steps for action, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center on Monday, March 27, 2017.

A new tool looks to better measure the economic mobility here in the Queen City.

Leading on Opportunity, a Charlotte-based organization founded in 2017 to address key determinants of economic mobility, launched its new Opportunity Compass today. this tool will be the first effective way to measure its progress, according to a news release.

A national study done by a Harvard University economist in 2014 ranked Charlotte last in economic mobility.

DJ Simmons has the info on the organization’s efforts.

5. Some more stories to read

---

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading! If you don’t already, subscribe to the Charlotte Observer here. If you’re already a subscriber (thanks!), download our iOS or Android app to stay connected.

Find more updates at charlotteobserver.com, and follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok to see more from us. Enjoy your day!

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign up here.

Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Q1 2024 Align Technology Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Align Technology Inc Earnings Call

  • EU military officer says a frigate has destroyed a drone launched from Yemen's Houthi-held areas

    NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A top European Union military officer said that a frigate that’s part of an EU miliary mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels on Thursday morning. Austrian Gen. Robert Brieger, who is chair of the EU’s military committee, said that it would be crucial for the bloc to “conserve resources” over the long haul because the threat posed by Houthi attacks “will not disappear” due to its conn

  • FTSE 100 Live 25 April: Index surges on £31bn mining takeover move and blue-chip updates

    A £31 billion takeover pursuit and some robust blue-chip updates helped to boost the FTSE 100 index today. Anglo American, whose interests include De Beers and the giant Woodsmith polyhalite project in North Yorkshire, is the target of Australia’s BHP. Meanwhile, shares in Barclays, AstraZeneca and Unilever performed strongly after their first quarter updates.

  • EU should set 600 billion euro target for capital markets union-France

    The European Union should set a target to raise 600 billion euros ($644 billion) in investments annually by the end of the decade by integrating its fragmented capital markets, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. Although Europeans generally save more than Americans, EU capital markets currently lack the depth of their U.S. counterparts because they largely operate along national lines. All EU leaders gave support to the principle of capital markets union at a summit this month though divisions remain on the details, with some countries reluctant to cede control of national financial rules.

  • Shoplifting hits record high with more than 1,000 offences a day

    Shoplifting has hit a record high of nearly 1,200 offences a day - but the number of cases solved has fallen to a low of just one in 10.

  • Dow Jones Futures Fall As Meta Dives On Guidance; Chipotle Eyes Buy Point

    The rally attempt paused Wednesday as Nvidia reversed lower. Meta, Chipotle and ServiceNow led key earnings late.

  • Fourth person arrested after five migrants die in Channel boat crossing tragedy

    An 18-year-old from Sudan was arrested at Manston migrant processing centre in Kent on Wednesday evening.

  • Q1 2024 Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc Earnings Call

  • Russian rouble hits three-week high on eve of rate decision

    The Russian rouble hit a three-week high against the dollar on Thursday, a day before the central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates at 16% for its third meeting in a row. At 1039 GMT the rouble was up 0.1% against the dollar at 92.11 for its strongest since April 3. All 26 analysts polled by Reuters this week expect the Bank of Russia to keep interest rates unchanged on Friday, with inflation's only gradual slowdown preventing the central bank from easing borrowing costs more quickly.

  • Here are the transportation options for the 2024 NFL Draft

    The 2024 NFL Draft is set to bring hundreds of thousands of people into Downtown Detroit for the three-day event on April 25-27, and that means lot of vehicular traffic.

  • Q&A: Labour’s plan for rail reform and the background to nationalisation

    Labour has pledged to nationalise the rail network, claiming it has become a ‘symbol of national decline’.

  • Kim Petras cancels gigs on doctor's orders

    The I Don't Want It At All singer took to social media to announce that she is cancelling her scheduled festival performances this summer. "My buns, I'm devastated to be writing this but I'm going through some health issues and under medical advice I have had to make the hard decision to not perform at festivals this summer," Petras shared. She did not provide details on exactly what health issues she is experiencing. "I love u so much and I'll make it up to you and be back better than ever very soon," she signed off.

  • Green fleet transition faces financial roadblock

    The cost of replacing 41 diesel waste vehicles with electric or hydrogen models proving prohibitive.

  • UPDATE 1-Caterpillar profit rises as higher prices offset easing demand

    Caterpillar posted a rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as it held on to higher prices for its construction equipment as demand eased from last year's boom. Caterpillar has benefited from President Joe Biden's $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law to upgrade roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure. Although the boom from last year has eased it has remained relatively stable, helping Caterpillar hold on to the price increases it launched in the second half of 2023.

  • Vauxhall maker threatens to quit UK market over electric car mandate

    The net zero crackdown on combustion engines could force the maker of Vauxhall to pull out of Britain, its boss has warned.

  • Here’s Why HCI Group (HCI) Rose in Q1

    Bernzott Capital Advisors, an investment management firm, published its “US Small Cap Value Fund” first-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here. In the first quarter, the portfolio gained +8.5% on a net basis, well above R2000V’s advance of +2.9% and above R2500V’s rise of +6.1%. The largest contribution to the […]

  • SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens collapses

    It follows the government's decision to scrap key climate targets and its response to a review into gender services.

  • Belarus says it thwarted attack on capital by drones launched from Lithuania

    The head of the Belarusian security service said on Thursday it had thwarted an attack on the capital Minsk by drones launched from Lithuania, Russian state news agencies said. There was no immediate comment from NATO-member Lithuania. "The State Security Committee, in cooperation with colleagues from other law enforcement agencies, has recently carried out a number of acute security measures, which made it possible to prevent strikes by combat drones from the territory of Lithuania on objects in Minsk and its suburbs," RIA news agency quoted Belarusian security chief Ivan Tertel as saying.

  • London travel news LIVE: Disruption to and from Euston as train hits piece of wood near Watford Junction

    Disruption has hit the morning rush-hour on Thursday after a train crashed into a a piece of wood near Watford. Trains to and from Euston are among those affected. National Rail warns trains are having to run at reduced speeds on the line towards Milton Keynes Central.

  • Caterpillar profit rises as higher prices offset easing demand

    Caterpillar has benefited from President Joe Biden's $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law to upgrade roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure. Although the boom from last year has eased it has remained relatively stable, helping Caterpillar hold on to the price increases it launched in the second half of 2023. That has helped the company offset the pressure on margins from an increase in manufacturing costs amid the lingering impact from supply chain constraints and higher steel prices.