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Suspect in the Charlotte Shooting Spree Was Due for Deportation

Jamie Parsons
Jamie Parsons  |  July 17, 2024 4:00 PM

One of the suspects accused in a shooting spree in Charlotte, North Carolina, was an illegal alien scheduled for removal in 2022 but was never deported.

Carlos Roberto-Diaz, an 18-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, went on a shooting spree in Charlotte on July 9, 2024, with a 16-year-old accomplice, killing one person and wounding "several others." In September of 2022, an Immigration Court in Charlotte held a hearing for Diaz where a judge ruled to remove Diaz from the United States. ICE never went "looking" for Diaz because they did not see him as a threat, WSOC-TV reported. Diaz had no criminal record.

Jamilah Espinosa, an immigration attorney in Charlotte, said in Immigration Court that ICE does not "immediately" take illegal aliens into custody, according to WSOC-TV. Espinosa added that when an immigration judge orders an individual to be removed, the process is different from a criminal court; illegal aliens normally leave the court and "live in the shadows."

It took two years and a shooting spree to finally arrest Diaz. 

In 2019, Diaz and his father were "intercepted" at the US-Mexico border while trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Diaz, who was 14 years old at the time, and his father were "released" and "allowed" in the U.S. Diaz and his father were "likely" released because of a "lack of bed space" and because Diaz was a minor, sources say, WSOC-TV reported.

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Court documents obtained by Queen City News said one of the suspects admitted to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police their crime started at 1:00 a.m. after the two boys "left a party" and "drove around the city shooting at people."

CMPD said the two suspects drove around the city, shooting at "drivers, bicyclists, and homes at random," shooting into Mustaffa Muhammad's car and killing him, according to Fox8 Morning News.

Mustaffa Muhammad, a 58-year-old man, was murdered when driving home from work, his family reported.

Espinosa said the U.S. needs "comprehensive" immigration reform.

“Many people confuse immigration reform with open borders – everyone gets to come in," Espinosa said. "No, we want them to at least make the legal process easier."