Tavares Phifer, 35, male, Black / African American, was shot just after 1:40 a.m. on September 16, 2025, in the 5600 block of Albemarle Road near a shopping plaza in east Charlotte. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found two people wounded; both were rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, and Tavares Phifer, 35, did not survive. The early-morning quiet gave way to flashing lights and detectives combing a parking lot for evidence as the homicide investigation began.
By the following day, authorities publicly identified the victim as Tavares Phifer, 35, and notified his family. Funeral notices soon confirmed his age and date of death in Charlotte, underscoring the suddenness with which a routine Tuesday turned into a day of grief for those who knew him.
The gunfire did not end one life alone. A woman shot in the head was reported in critical condition, and as detectives continued their work, police later identified an additional injured victim tied to the same incident. What began with two people found at the scene grew into a wider accounting of harm as investigators traced the night’s violence across witnesses and medical reports.
Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department named 29-year-old Francisco Aldair Lopez-Tadeo as the suspect and took him into custody. He was first charged with murder in the death of Tavares Phifer, 35, and, as the scope of the case widened, he was additionally charged with attempted murder connected to the other victim. Police said he remained in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office while the investigation continued.
As the case moves forward, detectives have kept their appeal open to anyone who saw or heard something in the moments around 1:42 a.m. on Albemarle Road. The official case report remains active, with investigators asking the public to share tips that could help them piece together the motives and movements that led to the fatal shots that claimed the life of Tavares Phifer, 35.
