Carlton Scott Rainey, 55, died from a gunshot wound on December 21, 2021, in Gastonia, North Carolina. Officers found Rainey suffering from the wound outside an apartment building on Herman Drive around 12:52 p.m.; he was pronounced dead at the scene. A 33-year-old woman was also shot inside the apartment and survived with non-life-threatening injuries.

Local detectives charged 34-year-old Aaron Lamar Alexander of Gastonia with homicide and assault-related counts. Investigators say Alexander shot both victims inside the apartment with a rifle, then fled in a vehicle; he was arrested about an hour later after officers located the vehicle and found a rifle inside. Detectives report the female victim was Alexander’s ex-girlfriend and Rainey was her family member, and the shooting appears tied to that relationship.

Anyone with information about Rainey, the events that day, or the people involved is asked to come forward.