2 Charlotte teens charged with murder in shooting outside South Boulevard restaurant

Two teens have been charged in the killing of a man late Monday outside a South Boulevard restaurant, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

It happened just before 11 p.m. outside Restaurante Lempira, at 5906 South Blvd., police said in a press release.

Investigators identified the victim early Tuesday as 31-year-old Domingo Venancio-Tapia. A GoFundMe account set up for Tapia says he was a husband and father of a two-week old baby girl, born April 12.

Two teens were arrested in the case Wednesday and charged with murder: Gerardo Lagunes, 17, and Juan Deras Escalante, 18, according to CMPD.

Escalante was taken into custody after an eight-hour SWAT standoff Wednesday, police said in a release. His charges include assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and discharging a firearm into occupied property.

Charlotte’s 2019 homicide tally is now at 46, including three people who were shot on Sunday and two people killed Tuesday at UNCC.

Officers arrived at Restaurante Lempira at 10:54 p.m. to find Venancio-Tapia with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

“The initial investigation has indicated that the victim had been inside the restaurant and was shot within a few minutes of exiting the building,” said a police press release.

This has been one of Charlotte’s deadliest weeks so far this year.

On Sunday, three people were killed and two others were wounded at three different crime scenes, says CMPD. Two of the dead were women, including one found shot in an extended stay hotel room on Yorkmount Road.

Police have not made arrests in any of the shootings this week.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 7:13 AM with the headline "2 Charlotte teens charged with murder in shooting outside South Boulevard restaurant."