HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — An arrest has been made in a deadly shooting investigation that began Monday afternoon at an apartment complex near a busy section of Huntersville.
Just after 4 p.m., officials said a man was killed in a shooting at the Holly Crest Apartments on Holly Crest Lane, which is just south of Sam Furr Road and east of Statesville Road.
On Tuesday, police confirmed Randy Gonzales-Mugaburu, 30, was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder.
Police said they arrived within 5 minutes after several people called to report a shooting at the apartment. Witnesses directed them to Michael Robert Feldman, 61, who had been shot several times in a staircase at the building.
Officials said the suspect and the victim lived at the apartments.
Many witnesses said they encountered the accused killer after the shooting.
“We had one witness come forward and state they saw a man leaving the area,” said Maj. Brian Vaughan, with the Huntersville Police Department.
Officers canvassed the area near Statesville and Sam Furr roads after the shooting, saying witnesses also told them the suspect was headed east and was “exhibiting bizarre behavior and approaching people.” Vaughan said someone reported seeing a thin man wearing blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt around the time of the shooting.
Face-to-face with an accused killer
Jorden Tucker said she was on her way to run errands Tuesday when she came face to face with Gonzales-Mugaburu in her garage
“He ran up to me and he was literally right here, right in my face, and he was like, ‘Baby, can you help me get a taxi? I need to get out of here,’ and I was like, ‘No,’” Tucker said.
Tucker then said she ran inside, told her mother, and called her neighbor, Erin Doyle, to tell her, “There is a creepy guy that approached me in my garage. I’m very scared.”
Tucker said a short time later as she was leaving in her car, she saw the man again.
But now, she said Gonzales-Mugaburu was following a neighbor, April Echstenkamper, who was walking her dog.
“I called the cops again and said, ‘You guys need to get here now,’” Tucker said.
“I saw this man running towards me very disheveled, confused,” Echstenkamper said. “He just kept running toward me and when he got close, he was like, ‘I need a taxi. Will you call me a taxi?’ And I was surprised, and I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll call you a taxi.’”
Echstenkamper said she tried to call a cab but got disconnected and started to get a weird feeling.
“At that point, I got my husband on the phone and I was like, ‘You need to drive down here,’” Echstenkamper said. “I was trying to say, ‘This is an emergency. You need to come down now,’ because I was very nervous.”
Police arrived shortly after Echstenkamper’s encounter and arrested Gonzales-Mugaburu on Greenfarm Road.
Ongoing investigation
Huntersville police said the shooting happened at 4:11 p.m.
A resident gave Channel 9 security video of his front yard from 4:21 p.m. He believes the video shows the suspect.
Police are still investigating and asked anyone in the area who might have more video to come forward.
“If anyone has any Ring doorbell footage or any kind of Nest footage -- if they could reach out to us and provide that footage to us,” Vaughan said.
Holly Crest management emailed tenants requesting that tenants stay in their units while police investigated the crime.
Vaughan said residents are not in danger. However, he reminded everyone they should be cautious.
A beloved neighbor
“It’s more difficult when it’s someone that you know,” said neighbor Jeri Sigley. “Even if you don’t know them well.”
Sigley said she will remember Feldman’s compassion toward his wife.
“I saw him helping her. She was in a scooter,” Sigley said. “So, he would help her in and out of the car. He was a very nice man.”
“He was brilliant”
Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with Ursula Smith, a former coworker of Feldman’s, about this tragic loss.
She said they worked together in the early 2000′s at Digital Optics Corporation.
Mike was a technology wizard. A thought leader and an impassioned and empathetic leader. He was so brilliant but unpretentious at the same time,” Smith said.
Smith said he had spoken to Feldman in years, but she is still heartbroken to hear about his passing.
“I couldn’t imagine what happened and why, you know, it just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Smith explained. “You really hurt us. You took away a shining light in this community, from his family, from his friends. I hate what you did.”
The software company that Feldman co-founded released this statement:
“With extreme sorrow and tremendous loss,T1V, Inc. (”T1V” or the “Company”) today announced the passing of its co-founder and CEO, Mike Feldman.
“Mike, 61, was tragically killed outside of his home in Huntersville, North Carolina. The circumstances remain under police investigation.
“Mike co-founded the software company with Jim Morris in late 2007 to counter the isolating effect and changes to group dynamics that began when iPhones were introduced. He founded T1V to counter this trend, and focused on creating large, touchscreen experiences that would help bring groups together.
“That was the genesis for what T1V would become - a visual collaboration company on a mission to help teams collaborate anytime, anywhere.
“Mike built the company from a three-person operation running out of a house to the global organization it is today headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Under Mike’s stewardship, the company built a robust intellectual property portfolio around its patented touch technology, with 19 patents issued and several more under review. The company also expanded operations overseas, opening an international office in 2018 to meet global demand. Today, T1V’s ThinkHub® visual collaboration software is a leading platform adopted by some of the biggest brands across architecture and design, construction and engineering, technology, life sciences, and other markets. T1V stands for ‘a team with one vision.’
“Despite his achievements in technology and business, Mike was most proud of the people who made T1V a team, and the Company’s customers. Mike took great pride in the T1V culture and values, which will live on through the Company.
“The leadership team at T1V is committed to completing Mike’s vision for the Company and the Board of Directors of the Company has named Adam Loritsch Acting CEO in the aftermath of Mike’s passing.
“Mike is survived by his wife and two daughters.”
Statement from the Holly Crest property management:
“We are sending our deepest condolences to the Feldman family and to our residents impacted by this tragedy.
“We want to thank the local law enforcement, especially the Huntersville Police Department, for their prompt response to this matter and swift arrest, as they prioritized our community and residents’ safety.
“We will continue to support our residents and staff through this tragic event while we cooperate with law enforcement’s ongoing investigation.”
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