Second man charged in toddler’s shooting death in North Carolina

Published 10:41 pm Tuesday, September 14, 2021

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A second man has been charged in connection with last week’s drive-by shooting death of a 3-year-old boy while he slept inside his home in North Carolina’s largest city, police announced on Saturday.

Jacob Lanier, 21, was in the Mecklenburg County jail after his arrest on Friday, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and jail records.

Lanier is accused of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, eight counts of attempted murder and nine counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, according to a department news release.

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Asiah Figueroa was killed and his 4-year-old sister wounded when people in multiple vehicles opened fire on a house late last Tuesday night, police reported. Investigators said the gunmen fired 150 rounds into the home.

On Friday, the department said they had filed multiple charges against Qua’Tonio Stephens, 21, including accessory after the fact to murder, related to the shootings and Asiah’s death. The police department said the investigation is ongoing.

The violence was the latest in a series of shootings targeting homes in the area that began weekend before last with a shooting that killed one teen, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said. Authorities believe the attacks are connected to high school feuds.

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