CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have charged a 15-year-old with the murder of another teen boy in northeast Charlotte.
Around 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 18, officers said they responded to Mallard Park Drive for an assault with a deadly weapon call. When they arrived, they found a 15-year-old, who had been shot, lying outside an apartment complex. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, CMPD said.
Days later, police said he died from his injuries.
On Tuesday, officers arrested a 15-year-old and charged him with murder. His identity will not be released due to his age.
Channel 9′s Gina Esposito spoke to the victim’s mother in February, who said her son, Martin Solano-Tashpulatova, had so much to look forward to in life.
“Nobody pays for that. Nobody is in jail for that, but my son is gone. He didn’t even have a life. He was 15,” Kamilla Tashpulatova said.
Tashpulatova said her son spoke three languages and never got in trouble.
“Very smart, extremely smart, had an answer for everything,” she said.
At the apartment complex, balloons and a makeshift memorial were placed to remember Solano-Tashpulatova.
Some neighbors said they were so shaken that night that they had to stay somewhere else.
“I don’t want to sleep in a crime scene. So I just packed up,” said Asa Hunter.
Glenn Smith, a local mentor who runs a program called Life Connections of the Carolina, said she tries to help kids work through arguments so that conflicts don’t escalate in or out of school.
“This is so needed in the community to get out and try to reach these kids before this happens,” Smith said.
CMPD said the shooting was a homicide, and asked anyone with information in the case to call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly to a homicide unit detective.
Mother of teen killed in shooting demands answers from police
Solano-Tashpulatova’s mother said she believes her son was set up.
Just a few weeks before the shooting, her son’s school had told her he was involved in a fight. Kamilla later found a video of the incident.
“Those boys just come in and start fighting him and beating him. You can see it yourself,” she said. “They said if you don’t feel safe, it’s wiser to transfer him to another school. That’s what I did.”
Kamilla believes the fight is somehow connected to the shooting.
Police said they are still investigating, but the victim’s mother said she’ll continue to push for answers.
“I feel like I’m a walking dead. I’m dead inside, but I got to get justice for my son,” Kamilla said. “By police not arresting those people, they put other lives in danger. Other good kids’ lives in danger.”
She asks anyone who knows anything about the deadly shooting to contact CMPD.
This is a developing story. Check wsoctv.com for updates.
(WATCH BELOW: CMPD investigating shooting that left 1 dead in north Charlotte)
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