Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Armed White Man Confronts Black NC Volunteer At Polling Place

People arrive for early voting at a polling place in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. Police say an armed white voter confronted a black poll worker Wednesday in Charlotte. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Police in North Carolina say an armed white man confronted a black Republican volunteer at a polling place and has been arrested.

Volunteer Derek Partee tells The News & Observer that three white people angrily approached him Wednesday at a poll in Charlotte. He posted pictures of the people on Facebook, saying they were calling him racial slurs and threatening him. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say in a release that the armed man was carrying a BB gun. His identity hasn't been released yet.

Partee says the people approached him asking about his party, but "they didn't care whether I was a Democrat or a Republican, they just cared that I was black." Police say the other people won't be charged because they were found to have not violated any laws.
 

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate