A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection to the shooting death of a teenager on Oak Mountain Road Sept. 8, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, but he is not charged with homicide.

At approximately 3:55 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, investigators arrested Adrian Nicholas Romero-Mandujano in connection with the double shooting which left another victim injured but he is not charged with the actual homicide.

One of the victims, 19-year old Rafael Varela Angeles, later died from his injuries while being treated at Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte.

Romero-Mandujano was charged with felony destruction of evidence because he left the scene with an AR-15-style rifle and a pistol. He was released on a $2,500 bond following his arrest.

The shooting was reported about 8:53 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, during a cancer fundraiser at an outdoor event center on Oak Mountain Road.

Deputies found Angeles laying on the ground with a gunshot wound with other bystanders administering aid. One deputy, a former firefighter and EMT, began administering lifesaving aid on Angeles and he was airlifted to a hospital in Charlotte but did not survive.

While on the scene, deputies learned that there was another shooting victim that had been transported by private vehicle to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. That victim has since been listed in stable condition.

This is still an active and ongoing investigation, and investigators are working to identify the shooter in this incident.
Anyone with any information in this incident is encouraged to contact Lt. Ryan Barkley with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8711, or they can call Rowan County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-JAIL (5245).