On the morning of August 19, 2022, the Orange County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of gunfire at the Heritage Apartments complex, located at 405 Thomas Burke Drive, just outside Hillsborough, North Carolina. Upon arrival, deputies discovered 26-year-old Ulises Guadalupe Vasquez, a male, in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate medical assistance from emergency responders, Vasquez succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Investigators initiated a K-9 unit track that led through a nearby wooded area, ending abruptly near Interstate 85. This led authorities to believe that the suspect fled the area in a vehicle. The Orange County Sheriff's Office indicated that the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident, posing no ongoing threat to the community.
Through their investigation, detectives identified 32-year-old Uriel Garcia Garcia of Durham, North Carolina, as a suspect in the case. On August 22, 2022, Garcia was apprehended in Statesboro, Georgia, by agents from the Southeastern United States Marshals Task Force of Georgia, in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force. He was charged with first-degree murder and was held in the Bulloch County Jail awaiting extradition to North Carolina.
Sheriff Charles Blackwood expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals task forces, the Statesboro Police Department, and the Bulloch County Sheriff's Office in apprehending Garcia. The arrest marked a significant development in the investigation into the death of 26-year-old Vasquez.
As of the latest available information, authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of 26-year-old Vasquez remains ongoing. Community members with any information related to the case are encouraged to contact Investigator Kevin Stewart at 919-245-2925.
