CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole yesterday after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder. The verdict followed the 2021 fatal shooting of 30-year-old Selvin Yovani Lara-Reyes at an apartment complex.
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Superior Court Judge Athena F. Brooks presided over the trial in Courtroom 5370, which began on July 20 and concluded with the verdict against 24-year-old Andy Garcia. The case was prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Homicide Team.
The shooting took place on March 31, 2021, while Lara-Reyes was hosting family and friends for a cookout. The gathering was held at his apartment on Oak Meadow Court in Charlotte.
Earlier that evening, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department received multiple 911 calls regarding gunshots at the apartment complex.
Officers responded to the scene but ultimately left without incident before the fatal encounter occurred.
Investigators found that Garcia, who lived in a neighboring apartment, confronted Lara-Reyes over a disagreement from earlier in the night. Garcia and several acquaintances returned to the backyard at approximately 9:45 p.m. to confront the victim again.
Garcia and his acquaintances began firing at Lara-Reyes while he was on his back porch. The victim attempted to flee inside his apartment, but Garcia followed him into the residence and continued to shoot before fleeing the scene on foot with his acquaintances.
Lara-Reyes was struck four times, including twice in the back and twice in the arm. He was pronounced dead at the scene after collapsing inside the home from a fatal back wound.
A juvenile resident was in the living room during the shooting and was struck in the hand. The juvenile was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening.
Police arrested Garcia on April 1, 2021, and seized his cell phone. Detectives reported that the device contained messages in which Garcia made admissions about his involvement and photos of him possessing .22-caliber, 9 mm and .40-caliber handguns within days of the killing.
Crime scene investigators collected discharged cartridge cases from the common area and inside the apartment, while multiple witnesses identified Garcia as the shooter. A search warrant executed at Garcia’s apartment also uncovered numerous .22-caliber and nine mm live rounds of ammunition.