A community celebration turned into a scene of panic on August 9, 2025, when Cherez Montique Davis, 34, allegedly fired two gunshots into the air to break up a fight involving her son at the 11th Annual Back-to-School Health Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Held at the CW Williams Community Health Center, the event was meant to provide free health services and school supplies to local families. But around 1 p.m., the festive atmosphere shattered when Davis reportedly pulled a Taurus G6 handgun from her backpack and fired it skyward after her son got into a heated altercation with another boy. According to court documents, another adult had intervened in the scuffle just before Davis took the drastic step.
Witnesses described Davis as wearing a black shirt, jeans, Crocs, and braided hair. The sound of gunfire sent over 100 children and parents fleeing in terror—some ran into the street without looking, while others sought shelter inside the health center. The chaos was so intense that some attendees feared it was an immigration raid.
Police had already left the event before the shots were fired, a detail that Debra Weeks, CEO of the health center, believes may have influenced Davis’s decision to act. “I think if the presence had still been there, I don’t think she would have been as free to respond that way,” Weeks told local media.
Davis was quickly apprehended by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. Her firearm was confiscated, and she was booked into the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. She now faces two misdemeanor charges: carrying a concealed weapon and going armed to the terror of the public. She was released on a $50,000 bond and made her first court appearance on Monday.
In a surprising moment at the end of the event, Davis was reportedly handed a microphone and offered an apology to the crowd. “I’m sorry,” she said, according to witnesses.
Despite the disruption, the CW Williams Community Health Center emphasized that the shooting was an isolated incident and celebrated the fair’s overall success. “We are saddened that our community, vendors, and team members experienced this, but are so thankful that no one was harmed,” the center stated. “Let’s not allow this to detract from what was accomplished.”
The incident has sparked conversations about safety, parental responsibility, and the pressures faced by families in high-stress environments.