Two teens found fatally shot miles apart are tied to same ‘incident,’ CMPD says
Two teens found fatally shot more than six miles apart have been linked to an “incident” that happened in southwest Charlotte, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
Detectives believe 16-year-old Bravlio Galeano Ayala and 18-year-old Samir Canales Molina were “shot at the same location during the same incident and then traveled away from the scene in an attempt to find help.”
Aristides Eli Orellana-Ramirez, 22, has been identified as a suspect and charged with murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling, CMPD said in a Jan. 9 case update.
The shootings happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in the 800 block of Farmhurst Drive, CMPD says. The neighborhood is near the intersection of Interstate 77 and Nation’s Ford Road, maps show.
One of the teens was found in the 100 block of East Woodlawn Road and he died after being taken to a hospital, police say. Investigators did not report how the teen got to East Woodlawn Road.
The second shooting was discovered when police were summoned to Novant Hospital located in the 200 block of Hawthorne Lane, officials said.
“Officers discovered one victim with life-threatening injuries who had sustained apparent gunshot wounds. The individual was later pronounced deceased by medical staff,” CMPD said.
Maps show the 100 block of East Woodlawn Road and 200 block of Hawthorne Lane are 6.9 miles apart.
Investigators did not release details of a motive for the shootings.
Anyone with information is asked to call the CMPD Homicide Unit at 704-432-8477 (TIPS) and speak directly to a detective. Anonymous tips can be given by calling Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 6:44 AM.