Teens arrested at a Charlotte high school for deadly weekend shooting, police say
Two teenagers have been arrested at Harding University High School in connection with the shooting death of a 17-year-old last weekend, police said Wednesday.
Brenice Gibson, 18, and a 15-year-old suspect are accused of killing Andy Hernandez in the 5700 block of Leake Street, near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, on Saturday, police said in a news release. Gibson has been charged with first-degree murder.
Hernandez was found with gunshot wounds inside a crashed car near a tree. Medic pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.
Gibson was arrested at Harding on Wednesday, CMPD said. It’s not clear if Gibson is a Harding student.
A 15-year-old student was arrested at the school Tuesday, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson confirmed to The Charlotte Observer. CMS referred other questions to police.
Both suspects also have been charged with attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, police said.
At a vigil Wednesday night, teachers described Hernandez as compassionate and kind, and someone who loved the arts, WSOC reported.
Cousin Keylin Lopez told the station that when Hernandez was 4 or 5 years old, he lost his father to gun violence.
“It’s heartbreaking that he went the same way,” she said.
Hernandez’s death was one of seven during Memorial Day week, the deadliest seven-day stretch in Charlotte this year. There have been at least 43 homicides in 2022, according to police data.
The arrests come after an unloaded gun was found inside a Harding student’s backpack on campus Tuesday morning. An administrator found the weapon before it was taken through the security scanners, Principal Glenn Starnes II said in a message to school families.
The arrests in the Hernandez killing and Tuesday’s gun incident are unrelated, CMPD spokesman Mike Allinger told the Observer.
At least 30 guns have been found on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools campuses during the 2021-22 academic year, which ended Wednesday.
Anyone with information about this shooting can call 704-432-8477 (TIPS) and speak with a Homicide Unit detective. Information can be left anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or charlottecrimestoppers.com.
Staff writer Anna Maria Della Costa contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 5:02 PM.
