Maria Eduvigig Echeverria de Gomez, a 36-year-old Hispanic woman, was tragically killed on April 3, 2018, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The incident occurred during an early morning armed robbery in the parking lot of Vista Village apartments located in the 6200 block of Barrington Drive in east Charlotte. Echeverria de Gomez was waiting for her brother, Angel Echeverria, to pick her up for work when the robbery took place.
She was shot less than 40 yards away from her brother, who witnessed the incident. Despite efforts to revive her, she was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center.
The investigation led to the arrest of multiple suspects. A 15-year-old male was arrested at his home and charged with murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Due to his age, his name was not released. He is being held at a juvenile detention facility. Additionally, Antonio Darnell Shine, 19, and A'vone Williams, 17, were arrested and charged with murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. They were transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office.
Further developments in the case included the arrest of a fourth teenager, 16-year-old Ziaya Chanel Jackson, who turned herself in to the police. She was also charged with murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. The suspects were believed to have planned the robbery, which resulted in the fatal shooting of Echeverria de Gomez.
The tragic death of Maria Eduvigig Echeverria de Gomez left her family devastated. Her husband, Nano Gomez, expressed his heartbreak, stating that the incident not only took his wife's life but also destroyed their family. Echeverria de Gomez had moved to the United States less than a year before her death and was working in landscaping. The community was deeply affected by the loss, and the quick arrests of the suspects were seen as a positive outcome of community policing efforts.
