ICE Lodges Detainer as CMPD Charges Suspect in Fatal Shooting of Two Charlotte Teens

Federal immigration authorities have lodged an arrest detainer for a 22-year-old man charged in the fatal shootings of two teenagers whose deaths investigators say resulted from a single incident in southwest Charlotte, according to local and federal officials.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the shootings occurred around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in the 800 block of Farmhurst Drive near Interstate 77 and Nation’s Ford Road, within the department’s Steele Creek Division.

The victims were identified as Bravlio Galeano Ayala, 16, and Samir Canales Molina, 18. Although the teens were later found more than six miles apart, detectives determined both were shot at the same location during the same incident and then left the scene in an attempt to get help.

According to CMPD, officers first became involved after one of the victims was located in the 100 block of East Woodlawn Road. That teen was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Investigators have not disclosed how he traveled from the Farmhurst Drive area to East Woodlawn Road.

A second response occurred after officers were called to the 200 block of Hawthorne Lane, where Novant Hospital is located. Police said officers found another victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead by medical staff.

Maps show the two locations are about six miles apart. CMPD later confirmed both deaths originated from the same shooting scene on Farmhurst Drive.

Suspect arrested after continued investigation

In a case update published Jan. 9, CMPD said detectives identified Aristides Eli Orellana-Ramirez, 22, as a suspect and obtained arrest warrants charging him with murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling.

On Thursday, Jan. 8, CMPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team located and arrested Orellana-Ramirez. He was taken to the Law Enforcement Center, where homicide detectives interviewed him. After the interview, he was transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, police said.

Following the announcement of the charges, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it lodged an arrest detainer for Orellana-Ramirez. ICE identified Orellana-Ramirez as a citizen of El Salvador and alleged he entered the United States illegally. 

According to ICE, Orellana-Ramirez crossed the United States–Mexico border at an unknown date and location as a so-called “got-away,” a term used by federal authorities to describe an individual who evaded U.S. Border Patrol agents while entering the country without inspection.

An ICE detainer requests that local law enforcement notify federal immigration authorities before a suspect’s release so ICE can take custody.

In a public statement on Jan. 14, ICE said the detainer was lodged in connection with the double homicide charges announced by CMPD.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said its Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office provides resources and assistance to victims and families affected by crimes involving noncitizens.

CMPD has not released a motive for the shootings or details about what led up to the incident. Investigators also have not said whether the suspect and victims knew one another or whether additional suspects are being investigated.

Authorities have declined to discuss evidence in the case, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Law enforcement officials said the case posed early challenges because the victims left the original shooting scene and were later discovered at separate locations. Detectives were required to reconstruct timelines across multiple scenes, coordinate with hospital staff, and analyze physical and digital evidence to establish that the shootings were connected.

CMPD said confirming both teens were shot during the same incident was a key development in the investigation. The deaths have shaken the Steele Creek area and the surrounding parts of southwest Charlotte. Residents reported heavy police presence in multiple neighborhoods and at hospital locations during the early morning hours of Dec. 20.

Police have not said whether the shooting was targeted or random and urged the public not to speculate while the investigation continues.

Anyone with information is asked to contact CMPD’s Homicide Unit at 704-432-8477 and speak directly with a detective. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

Investigators said witness accounts, surveillance video, or information about vehicles seen in the area could help clarify remaining questions in the case. Orellana-Ramirez remains in custody as the case proceeds through the court system.