On May 26, 2024, at approximately 5 a.m., 23-year-old Kevin Merlos-Saravia was fatally shot at the Woodland Estates Apartments on Winged Elm Court in east Charlotte, North Carolina. Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to an "assault with a deadly weapon" call and found Merlos-Saravia deceased at the scene.
The investigation revealed that Merlos-Saravia and 42-year-old Jose Francisco Ulloa-Martinez were involved in a physical altercation at the apartment complex, during which Ulloa-Martinez allegedly shot Merlos-Saravia. Following the incident, Ulloa-Martinez fled the scene.
On June 3, 2024, Ulloa-Martinez was apprehended in Houston, Texas, by the Houston Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. CMPD detectives traveled to Houston to interview Ulloa-Martinez, who was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. He awaited extradition to Mecklenburg County to face the charges.
Merlos-Saravia was originally from El Salvador, where his mother and son reside, awaiting the return of his body.
The arrest of Ulloa-Martinez was the result of coordinated efforts among multiple law enforcement agencies, including CMPD's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Houston Police Department's Gang Unit.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Merlos-Saravia's death remains active and ongoing. Authorities continue to seek information from the public to aid in the case. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact CMPD's Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers.
