Charlotte hotel double homicide suspect arrested in Florida, police say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A suspect in a double homicide at a Charlotte hotel on Thursday afternoon was arrested in Florida early Friday morning, according to police.

Records indicated that 38-year-old Alvaro Ozuna-Sierra was apprehended in Port St. Lucie around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 3. Officers reportedly learned Ozuna-Sierra was traveling in their area, located him, conducted a felony traffic stop, and took him into custody without issue.

Charlotte police said detectives are headed to Florida to interview Ozuna-Sierra. As of this writing, possible charges he could face have not been announced.

Two 54-year-olds, Anilkumar Patel and Pankaj Patel, were identified as the victims. It wasn’t made clear if the two were related, even though they have the same last name.

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What we know

The deadly double shooting happened around 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Lamplighter Inn along Eddleman Road in northwest Charlotte.

Upon arrival, officers said they found Anilkumar and Pankaj had been shot. Paramedics rushed them to a local hospital, where they later died.

Police are investigating the case as a homicide, and Ozuna-Sierra was arrested in Florida on Friday in connection with the shooting.

It was not immediately clear what led up to the shooting.

Neighbor unsurprised by violence at hotel

Arthur Brooks lives up the road from where Thursday’s double homicide took place. He said he’s not surprised by the deadly shooting.

“I’ve seen the police cars up there,” said Brooks. “We’re killing each other, that’s all that’s going on. We are killing each other.”

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The Lamplighter Inn, once home to about 70 residents, was shut down in December after the city of Charlotte deemed it uninhabitable due to more than a dozen code violations.

Brooks said there have been issues at the hotel while it was open and after it closed.

“Something is always going on over there,” Brooks said. “Drugs, prostitution, everything is going on at the motel.”

–> Previous: Charlotte’s Lamplighter Inn intends to close leaving residents wondering where to go

It’s still uncertain what the future holds for the property, but Brooks says something needs to be done.

“Need to clean it up, it’s been going on too long,” Brooks said.

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