Anilkumar Patel, 54, was fatally shot on the afternoon of October 2, 2025, near the shuttered Lamplighter Inn along the 4400 block of Eddleman Road in northwest Charlotte. First responders were called a little after 1 p.m.; both he and another 54-year-old man, Pankaj Patel, were taken from the scene with gunshot wounds and later died at the hospital. The motel had been closed previously for safety issues and sits just off I-85 near Bradford Drive, a location described as a forlorn stretch that had become a magnet for trouble even after its doors were locked.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department homicide detectives cordoned off the property, canvassed the area for witnesses and nearby cameras, and fixed the time and place in their initial release. By the next day, investigators had identified a suspect. Police in Port St. Lucie, Florida, arrested 38-year-old Alvaro Luis Ozuna-Sierra; authorities said he would face two counts of first-degree murder and be extradited to Mecklenburg County. Officials have not released a motive or detailed how the encounter unfolded.

Did anyone in the area on October 2 see activity near the Lamplighter Inn or the 4400 block of Eddleman Road that could help investigators?