Man dies after being shot at East Charlotte apartment complex, police say
A 20-year-old man died after being shot at an East Charlotte apartment complex on Friday.
Zion Garcia was found by officers in a parking lot two miles away, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
Police said they received a 911 call that a shooting had occurred at the apartment complex in the 5300 block of Firelight Lane and that “several individuals” were running away from the scene.
When police arrived around 5:20 p.m., they attempted to track the suspects with the assistance of the K-9 Unit but were unsuccessful.
Three minutes later, different CMPD officers responded to reports of a shooting at 7008 Albemarle Road and found a man with a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the Valero convenience store. He was later identified as Garcia.
Medic took the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers at the convenience store learned that the victim had been shot in the 5300 block of Firelight Lane and that another person had taken him to the parking lot.
The death is the city’s 78th homicide of the year. This time last year — one of the worst years for murders in a decade — Charlotte had experienced 68 homicides.
Police encourage anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 9:05 PM.
