Police say the gunfire stemmed from a dispute; two teens were also wounded.
CONCORD, N.C. — Four people were shot when gunfire broke out around 7:30 p.m. Friday during the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting in downtown Concord, prompting a rapid evacuation of Union Street South near Corban Avenue. Police said the shooting involved two people who knew each other, not a random attack on the public.
Authorities said three victims remained in critical condition Saturday morning while a fourth was listed as stable or released. Investigators identified 18-year-old Nasir Ahmad Bostic as one suspected shooter and a juvenile as the second. A third person, 17-year-old Keyvyonn Rayshaund Bostic, was arrested as an accessory after the fact. The case moved quickly overnight as officers reviewed video, collected shell casings and interviewed witnesses from the tightly packed crowd. City officials said the 97th Concord Christmas Parade would proceed Saturday afternoon with additional security and visible police presence.
Police and fire crews already assigned to the event rushed in seconds after shots were heard near the main stage and food trucks. Families grabbed children and ducked behind vendor tents as officers shouted for people to move south, witnesses said. Concord Police Major Patrick Tierney told reporters the first 911 calls came just before 7:30 p.m. and units on scene “closed distance immediately,” creating a corridor for medics to reach the injured. “The response you saw last night is the result of unified training between police, fire and EMS,” Tierney said. Downtown businesses locked doors to shelter people inside while streets were cleared block by block.
By early Saturday, Police Chief Jimmy Hughes said investigators had accounted for everyone believed to be involved. He said Nasir Ahmad Bostic, who was shot, remained hospitalized in critical condition and would be served with arrest warrants when released. The juvenile suspect, also listed in critical condition, faces petitions through juvenile court. Keyvyonn Rayshaund Bostic, who was not shot, was taken into custody shortly after the incident. Two other people wounded by gunfire are 17 years old; one was released from the hospital by Saturday morning while the second remained in critical condition. Officials said they were still working to determine how many rounds were fired and from what distance.
Charges announced so far include assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill and inciting a riot for the two suspected shooters, according to police. The juvenile suspect also faces two counts of discharging into an occupied property inflicting serious injury. Keyvyonn Rayshaund Bostic is charged as an adult with accessory after the fact and inciting a riot. Police emphasized that under North Carolina law, identifying details for juvenile offenders are withheld. Detectives requested the public upload any photos or videos taken near Union Street South and Corban Avenue between 7 and 8 p.m. Friday to aid the timeline and ballistic analysis. Officers said no additional suspects were being sought as of Saturday afternoon.
The tree lighting, now in its 28th year, draws thousands to a downtown corridor lined with brick storefronts and the historic Cabarrus County courthouse square. Friday’s program included live music, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, a showing of “The Grinch” and fireworks to cap the night. Concord, a city of about 105,000 roughly 25 miles northeast of Charlotte, has leaned on the event to launch holiday shopping for small businesses along Union Street. The violence cut the program short within minutes, leaving folding chairs overturned, a stroller abandoned near the main stage and police tape running across Corban Avenue as investigators photographed evidence markers under the streetlights.
Mayor Bill Dusch called the shooting “senseless” and said the parade would continue as planned Saturday with additional screening and uniformed units stationed along the route. “We are a resilient community and will not let the actions of a few individuals steal another tradition from us,” Dusch said. Cabarrus County EMS said crews already staged for the event treated patients within moments of the first shots and moved them to area hospitals. Firefighters set up a triage area near the intersection, and police escorted ambulances out through pre-cleared lanes as sirens echoed along Union Street.
Investigators spent the overnight hours canvassing businesses for surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses who sheltered inside restaurants and shops after the evacuation order. Officers marked multiple spent shell casings on the pavement and searched a grassy median where some witnesses believed a handgun was tossed. Police said the motive remains under investigation but stressed the confrontation was between individuals who knew one another. By sunrise, crews had removed most of the tape, and city workers swept confetti and debris from the street to reopen the core of downtown ahead of the parade.
As the legal process begins, officers said warrants for Nasir Ahmad Bostic will be served upon his release from the hospital. The juvenile suspect’s case proceeds in the state’s juvenile system, where hearings are closed and names are not disclosed. Keyvyonn Rayshaund Bostic is expected to make an initial appearance in district court next week on the accessory and riot charges, according to police. The city said enhanced security measures would remain in place through the weekend, and officials planned a media availability after Saturday’s parade to provide updates on victim conditions and any additional charges.
Parents and grandparents who returned to check on their cars Saturday described a surreal calm on streets that only hours earlier had been full of music and children waving glow sticks. A downtown shop owner said she sheltered about two dozen people in a back storeroom until officers knocked and escorted them out. “You could hear the sirens from every direction,” she said. A father who attended with two young children described officers “running toward the noise” as families crouched behind benches. Chief Hughes thanked bystanders who shared videos, saying the quick uploads helped detectives verify positions and sequences in the first minutes after the first shots.
As of Saturday afternoon, police said three people remained in critical condition and one had been released or was in stable condition. Investigators expect to release an updated timeline after reviewing additional video and forensic results. The 97th Concord Christmas Parade was scheduled to step off at 2:30 p.m., with extra officers assigned along the route and near viewing areas. Officials said they would provide the next public update after the parade concludes and the evidence review resumes later in the evening.
Author note: Last updated November 22, 2025.