CHARLOTTE, NC - A man was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds outside a city child care facility after he reportedly interrupted a crime in progress hours earlier, according to a police affidavit.
The alleged shooting happened around 3:00 a.m. on Monday, December 15 in the parking lot of Tender Hearts Child Care. Two men have been charged in connection with the shooting, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a case update on December 19, according to the Charlotte Observer. The suspects have been identified as 33-year-old Rethanachantra Em and 32-year-old Borein Ngiem.
Investigators believe that 44-year-old Albert Lowery was targeted for confronting a suspected thief at the 24-hour child care operation two hours earlier. Lowery's wife is the one who found his body. "The 911 caller, Jessica Moss-Lowery, stated to police that she was inside the incident location and overheard gunshots," officials said.
"When she called her husband, Albert, on the phone and he didn't answer, she went outside to check on him. Mrs. Lowery located her husband in the driver's seat of his vehicle, unresponsive ... The victim had been shot multiple times." Lowery was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting happened more than two hours after he caught a man trying to take the catalyic converter off an SUV in the parking lot, police said. Catalyic converters are wanted by scrapyards for their "precious metals," according to experts.
Surveillance footage confirmed Lowery was armed when he confronted a man who is seen under an SUV in the parking lot. Lowery's intervention prompted the man to get into a black Honda Civic parked beside the SUV and leave. Investigators were able to link the Honda to two suspects.
The car was found at a home an eight-minute drive from the crime scene, police said. Details of how the incident then turned deadly have yet to be released. EM has been charged with: first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, attempted theft of motor vehicle parts, and felony conspiracy.
Ngiem has been charged with: first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. An obituary states that Lowery was a father and a grandfather raised in South Carolina. "Al was known for his very big heart, his ability to give good advice, and his gift for being a great listened," the obituary states.
"A true man's man, Al carried himself with strength, loyalty, and quiet wisdom, always showing up for those he loved."
The alleged shooting happened around 3:00 a.m. on Monday, December 15 in the parking lot of Tender Hearts Child Care. Two men have been charged in connection with the shooting, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a case update on December 19, according to the Charlotte Observer. The suspects have been identified as 33-year-old Rethanachantra Em and 32-year-old Borein Ngiem.
Investigators believe that 44-year-old Albert Lowery was targeted for confronting a suspected thief at the 24-hour child care operation two hours earlier. Lowery's wife is the one who found his body. "The 911 caller, Jessica Moss-Lowery, stated to police that she was inside the incident location and overheard gunshots," officials said.
"When she called her husband, Albert, on the phone and he didn't answer, she went outside to check on him. Mrs. Lowery located her husband in the driver's seat of his vehicle, unresponsive ... The victim had been shot multiple times." Lowery was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting happened more than two hours after he caught a man trying to take the catalyic converter off an SUV in the parking lot, police said. Catalyic converters are wanted by scrapyards for their "precious metals," according to experts.
Surveillance footage confirmed Lowery was armed when he confronted a man who is seen under an SUV in the parking lot. Lowery's intervention prompted the man to get into a black Honda Civic parked beside the SUV and leave. Investigators were able to link the Honda to two suspects.
The car was found at a home an eight-minute drive from the crime scene, police said. Details of how the incident then turned deadly have yet to be released. EM has been charged with: first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, attempted theft of motor vehicle parts, and felony conspiracy.
Ngiem has been charged with: first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. An obituary states that Lowery was a father and a grandfather raised in South Carolina. "Al was known for his very big heart, his ability to give good advice, and his gift for being a great listened," the obituary states.
"A true man's man, Al carried himself with strength, loyalty, and quiet wisdom, always showing up for those he loved."
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