By rssfeeds-admin CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Authorities have made a second arrest in connection with the April shooting of a 23-year-old man who was killed just outside a Charlotte bar that has since had its alcohol permits suspended following a string of 911 calls and after-hours violations.
On Tuesday, August 5, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested 20-year-old Noel Alexander Vasquez Mercado for the death of Javier Lee Martinez Hernandez. He’s now facing a first-degree murder charge. This is the second arrest in the case.
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The first suspect, identified as Jefry Edgardo Gonzalez Artica, 22, was taken into custody in late June out of state, in Louisiana, with the help of federal and local law enforcement. He is also facing a first-degree murder charge.
The shooting happened on April 13 outside Mi Cabana, a bar located along Eastway Drive in northeast Charlotte. Officers responded to an assault call around 6 a.m. and found Hernandez with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A troubled history
The bar where the shooting happened, Mi Cabana, had already drawn heavy attention from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. Months after the deadly shooting, the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission suspended its alcohol permits indefinitely.
Authorities said since July 2023, there had been 28 police calls to the location, including robberies, assaults, weapon violations, and the murder of Hernandez.
Investigators found that alcohol was still being served at Mi Cabana well past legal hours, even up to 4 a.m. on the morning Hernandez was killed. Red plastic cups on-site tested positive for alcohol, and video surveillance backed up the timeline, police said.
The bar’s manager allegedly admitted to knowing the laws but continuing to serve alcohol after 2 a.m. because, in her words, she “makes more money selling after hours.”
CMPD described Mi Cabana as a drain on law enforcement resources, noting that officers were required to bring backup when responding to calls at the property due to its history.
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