In a tragic incident outside the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services in Kannapolis, a mother and her 19-year-old daughter were fatally shot by the woman's husband, who later took his own life following a cross-county chase with law enforcement. The violence erupted around 8:30 a.m. yesterday, with Kannapolis police responding to a 911 call reporting gunshots at the social services facility. The victims, Maria Julian-Pichardo, 45, and Yamilaine Sosa-Julian, 19, were found dead on scene, WBTV reported.
Rafael Lopez, 51, identified as the shooter and husband of Julian-Pichardo, fled the area but was fatally pursued by an on-duty Cabarrus County sheriff's deputy, who heard the gunshots and saw Lopez driving away from the social services building. After a nearly twenty-mile chase, ending on Lower Palmer Road in Rockwell, Lopez fatally shot himself, according to authorities. During the pursuit that the deputy was joined by Kannapolis police officers and eventually deputies from Rowan County, QC News reported.
The deadly encounter appeared to originate from a domestic situation, with the Kannapolis Police Department investigating an earlier incident on February 1 at the couple's home, during which firearms were confiscated. Lopez was later charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and was out on a $5,000 bond. A temporary Domestic Protective Order was served to Lopez on Valentine’s Day. On the day of the shooting, Julian-Pichardo and her daughter were at the social services office to discuss the domestic incident that occurred earlier in the month, as WCNC elaborated.
The local community is reeling from the impact of the violence, with local business owner Rice expressing his shock in an interview with QC News: "I was more shocked than anything because typically this is a quiet area and everybody’s friendly so to hear that type of violence to take place, that close, it sent shockwaves." He added, feeling comforted by the community's response, "You really don’t know how close or how much you mean to somebody until tragedy happens." The Kannapolis Department of Social Services remained closed for the rest of the day, with services still available at an alternate location.
This incident remains under active investigation, with law enforcement particularly focused on determining how Lopez was able to obtain the weapon used in the shooting after the previous confiscation of firearms from the home. No employees at the Department of Social Services were harmed in the incident, officials said reassuring the community about the safety of the public facility.
