June 30, 2023: A day that will go down in history in Charlotte
But that evening there was an awkward ending to a holiday tradition, the start of a months-long amusement park investigation and unusual livestock on the loose.
The final day of the fiscal year went out with a bang. In one of the incidents, literally. Here's everything that went down:
Deputies with the Iredell County Sheriff's Office were serving felony arrest warrants at a home east of Statesville. He was described as a violent habitual felon with an outstanding kidnapping charge out of Hickory.
The sheriff's office says the deputies eventually found the suspect, Gregory Cribb, in the crawl space of the home on Bell Farm Road. Cribb allegedly pointed a semi-automatic rifle at the deputy, leading to the deputy shooting and killing Cribb, the sheriff's office explained.
The weapon turned out to be an Airsoft rifle, which was apparently indistinguishable from an actual firearm.
The Whitewater Center has been home to one of Charlotte largest July Fourth celebrations. There are two evenings of live music, trail races, numerous food vendors and fireworks – all with the outdoor center's unique backdrop. But with the event's popularity have come complaints from neighbors over noise and traffic; there are only two-lane roads until reaching Interstate 485 a mile and a half away.
Initially, the permit to set off fireworks was pulled by Mecklenburg County, but only for the Fourth; they would still happen on July 3.
Then later that night, the Whitewater Center announced that it wouldn't set them off on the Fourth either. The facility never gave an official explanation. Its Fourth of July celebration has continued since, still without fireworks.
Outside of deer, there isn't much wildlife – or livestock — within the Charlotte city limits. Around 8 p.m. the night of June 30, Queen City News received a call that expanded on that notion. A man said that his Chinese water buffalo escaped from his east Charlotte home.
In the days that followed, neighbors in the Ravenwood community observed – and documented– the 1,500-pound animals walking up and down the street. Some ended up at Albemarle Road Elementary School.
The buffalo owner, George Joseph said they escaped through a fence. He was cited by police since the animals are prohibited within city limits. The buffalo were then euthanized.
Just as Carowinds was entering its peak season, the amusement park had to shut down due to a major problem on its marquee ride. A week before, a park-goer observed a crack on the Fury 325 coaster. Their photo of the crack went viral late that night.
In the week between, the ride still passed daily inspections executed by the park engineers. Fury has been recognized as North America's tallest, fastest and longest giga coaster.
The support pillar was replaced in July with a new steel column, but another crack was found later that month.
After a two more rounds of testing, Fury 325 reopened Aug. 10. An N.C. Department of Labor report released in March 2024, revealing the crack formed 'as the result of unidirectional bending fatigue.'
Throughout and following the investigation, Fury continued to be named the Best Steel Coaster in the country.
Based on what happened in the western part of the state that afternoon, we should've known some 'funny business' was in store. A private plane carrying comedian Gabriel Iglesias skidded off the runway at Western Carolina Regional Airport and ending up in a field. The 'Fluffy' comic was OK.
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