A deadly encounter in Mooresville's Mazeppa Park has led to a homicide investigation following an attempted armed robbery that culminated in gunfire. The Mooresville Police Department reported on their Facebook page that the incident occurred on December 29, 2025, around 8:29 p.m. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered two juveniles with gunshot wounds; one tragically pronounced dead by Iredell EMS and the other transported with injuries to Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital.
The violence erupted over THC vape pens, with the suspects allegedly luring the victims to the park under the guise of intending to purchase the items. Both parties exchanged gunfire during the skirmish. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, which was later intercepted by the Statesville Police Department. Among the charged are Bryan Fernandez Acevedo, Jovany Jiminez, Jonathan Jiminez, Christopher Chacon Ventura, and Christopher Palencia Lazo, all from Statesville and facing charges as adults.
In a grim tally, these young men, the youngest of them merely 16, are now ensnared in the justice system charged with murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. An additional juvenile, whose name remains undisclosed pending arrest, is also implicated in these charges. Further charges have been laid against Carlos Ezequiel Rodriguez Garcia and Christian Alexis Gutierrez Chavez, both adults, accused of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
The investigation into this tragic event continues actively, with the possibility of more information to be disclosed to the public as it becomes available. The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with local law enforcement to untangle this fateful convergence of young lives and lethal decisions. As the inquiry presses on, the public space where lives were irrevocably altered remains closed—Mazeppa Park, now a crime scene, is currently cordoned off from the community it serves.
