CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charges have been upgraded to murder for two Charlotte teens charged in the death of a Western Carolina student.
[PAST COVERAGE: North Carolina college student shot next to campus]
A statement from Western Carolina University on Wednesday said that a 17-year-old boy and 19-year-old Aja Makalo are charged with murder in the shooting of 21-year-old WCU student Jason Alexander Ray.
The two were initially charged with attempted murder after they were arrested by the State Bureau of Investigation for the Oct. 6 shooting. Ray died on Oct. 9 after his family decided to take him off life support.
Investigators believe drugs may have played a role in the shooting.
The 17-year-old, who is not a student at Western Carolina, is being held without bond. Makalo, who is a student at the school, is jailed on a $500,000 bond.
University spokesman Bill Studenc said the incident remains under investigation.
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