On October 19, 2021, 14-year-old Hispanic male Rosendo Montiel Jr. was shot in the front yard of his home on Foxfire Drive in Henderson, North Carolina. Emergency responders arrived at approximately 12:20 p.m. and found Rosendo with life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Duke University Hospital in Durham, where he was placed on life support. Two days later, on October 21, his family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support, and he passed away.
Rosendo was an eighth-grade student at Vance County Middle School. Following the death of his mother, Rebeca Dawn Terrell, from cancer several years prior, he had been raised by his grandmother, Sherrie Morado. Rosendo was known for his love of basketball, playing PlayStation, and listening to rap music. He cherished spending time with his friends and was remembered by many as funny, caring, and chill.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Vance County Sheriff's Office identified a 15-year-old male suspect. Initially charged with attempted first-degree murder, the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder following Rosendo's death. The suspect surrendered to authorities on November 3, 2021, and was taken into custody. Due to his age, the suspect's name has not been released to the public. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting remains ongoing.
Rosendo's death deeply affected the Henderson community. Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington expressed his condolences, stating, 'We as a community are saddened by yet another senseless death of our youth. Lives are forever changed in a split second, and now, as the different families mourn, we are reminded once again, when guns fall in the hands of children, that the consequences are hard to accept.'
