Abel Arroyo Yanez was a 21-year-old Hispanic man from the Una area of Spartanburg County who had come to the Upstate to work and send money home to his widowed mother and 7-year-old sister in Mexico. On the morning of Thursday, September 5, 2024, deputies responded to reports of gunfire on the 100 block of West Blackstock Road near Westgate Mall and found Abel gravely wounded with a gunshot to the chest. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died there on Sunday, September 8; the coroner confirmed his death after his mother could be notified in Mexico.

Witnesses at the scene pointed investigators to a 25-year-old Spartanburg County man, Cristobal Avila, who was found nearby with non-life-threatening injuries. Avila was treated at a hospital, then booked September 6, 2024 on charges including attempted murder and weapons offenses; after Abel’s death the major charges were upgraded and Avila was formally charged with murder with bonds listed at 0.00.

If anyone knew Abel, saw the incident on West Blackstock Road, or has information about what happened that morning, please share what can help the investigation.