On December 6, 2024, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office found 19-year-old Erik Peredes Maravilla deceased from gunshot wounds in the 1500 block of Poplar Springs Church Road near Sanford, North Carolina. Another person was seriously injured and airlifted to a trauma center.

Two men have been charged in connection with the shooting: 19-year-old Stephen Alexander Buruca-Romero of Sanford was arrested December 7 and charged with murder, and a second suspect, 20-year-old Giovanni Jose Garcia-Rivera, was later apprehended and also charged with murder. Both are awaiting trial and the investigation remains active. Erik Maravilla-Paredes, born January 6, 2005, lived in Sanford; visitation was December 15 and funeral services and burial took place December 16 at St. Stephen Catholic Church and its cemetery.

What information do community members have about that evening on Poplar Springs Church Road that could help investigators?