Pankaj Patel, 54, a male of South Asian heritage, was shot on the afternoon of October 2, 2025, in northwest Charlotte, North Carolina, near the shuttered Lamplighter Inn on Eddleman Road off I-85. First responders found two men wounded; both were transported for treatment. Pankaj Patel, 54, and a second victim, Anilkumar Somabhai Patel, 54, did not survive their injuries. The case was immediately taken up by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department homicide detectives as a double homicide.
Detectives publicly identified the victims within a day and began piecing together what led to the gunfire at the former motel, which had drawn city scrutiny before closing. By October 3, investigators said they had identified a suspect and secured warrants. That same day, officers in Port St. Lucie, Florida, took a man into custody in connection with the killings, while CMPD homicide detectives traveled to interview him as the investigation continued.
Police named the suspect as Alvaro Luis Ozuna-Sierra, 38, and announced his arrest in Florida on October 3. Authorities reported that he faced two counts tied to the homicides and that next steps would include coordination with North Carolina authorities. Official updates emphasized that the inquiry into Pankaj Patel’s, 54, death remained active as detectives sought to clarify the circumstances around the shootings at the Eddleman Road site.
Community and memorial pages reflected the loss, noting Pankaj Patel, 54, by name and date in Charlotte. These notices appeared alongside evolving local news coverage that tracked the swift out-of-state arrest and the return of the case to CMPD’s Homicide Unit for further work on motive and any additional leads.
