Alexander Benitez-Hernandez, 23, a Hispanic/Latino male, was shot and killed on the evening of August 30, 2025, in the parking lot of the Marshalls at 1418 East Dixie Drive in Asheboro, North Carolina. Police said a verbal altercation that began inside the store spilled into the parking lot around 7:06 p.m., where both men pulled handguns and exchanged fire. Benitez-Hernandez shot the other man in the lower leg and then ran toward his vehicle; the other man went to his truck, retrieved a.
30–30 rifle, and fired a single round that struck Benitez-Hernandez in the back. Officers and medical personnel could not save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later noted that an early statement describing a chest wound was corrected after further investigation to reflect the gunshot to his back.
Investigators quickly identified the second participant as Branson Russell of Denton. Shortly after the shooting, officers stopped a red Ford F-250 speeding away; the driver, identified as Russell, had a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Following a rapid review of the case, a Randolph County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment for second-degree murder on September 8, 2025. Russell was arrested the next day, jailed without bond, and scheduled for a first court appearance on September 10.
