Crime & Courts

Fatal Christmas Eve shooting investigated in SouthPark area of Charlotte, CMPD says

A Christmas Eve homicide is under investigation in the SouthPark area of south Charlotte, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

The victim was identified as 32-year-old Wilmer Ulises Olivas-Alvarez, CMPD said in a news release.

It happened around 4 a.m. Saturday in the 2200 block of Rexford Road, a largely commercial area of hotels and office space north of SouthPark Mall.

The shooting occurred at the Marriott SouthPark, according to the Observer’s news partner WSOC.

“Officers responded to possible medical emergency call for service,” officials said.

CMPD is investigating a homicide on Rexford Road in south Charlotte. It happened at the Marriott, WSOC reports.
CMPD is investigating a homicide on Rexford Road in south Charlotte. It happened at the Marriott, WSOC reports. Street View image from Aug 2021. © 2022 Google

They found a male with a gunshot wound, and he was taken to Atrium Health Main with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.

A “person of interest” from Manassas, Virginia, was taken into custody at the scene, officials said.

Danny Earl McGowan, 41, was charged later in the day “with murder, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” CMPD said in an update.

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This story was originally published December 24, 2022 at 7:55 AM.

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Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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