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<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-353e898e2cda63ea2485b8d0d47d2cae wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>Gracie Elizabeth Faye Landa, 18, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with the May 30, shooting death of 23-year-old Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a28fce62e14d580946b11793482bbd02 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>Landa was reported missing from her home in Tampa in June 2023 at the age of 16</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0f0a1f5970d0814777d9f6d2383b2146 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>A year later, the National Center for Missing &; Exploited Children said authorities believed she had traveled to Durham and no public updates on her whereabouts had been issued until her arrest this week</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-717341c447237fd09566075aba775ff1 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>The victim Piedrasanta-Perez and two women were sitting in a car near Whippoorwill Park around 12:30 am on May 30 </strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5b9dd58761b0c8195d23c13f8b57cc23 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>Two to three suspects emerged from the woods and opened fire, killing <strong> Piedrasanta-Pere</strong>z, injuring the women</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-59051726ff876f848bee641ef2d7bf9a wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>Investigators recovered at least 40 shell casings from the scene, a mix of 9mm and .223 rifle rounds </strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-14cd8836071aa7e6d2e06e48f6f8790c wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>The fight according to the warrant, stemmed from an on-going conflict over a romantic relationship, the trio in the car were present because a friend planned to confront another girl, but they were ambushed on arrival</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-cca973b68957637c36413fdf8ec0d3ef wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#180202;font-size:14px"><strong>The teen suspect Landa who remains in the Durham County Jail without bond, made her first court appearance on Tuesday and is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 11</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Gracie-Elizabeth-Faye-Landa-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-484349" style="width:840px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Gracie Elizabeth Faye Landa [photo], 18, who was reported missing from her home in Tampa in June 2023 at the age of 16, reappeared Monday when she arrested and charged with murder in Durham, NC</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A teenage girl who was reported missing from her home in Florida, more than two years ago has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a deadly shooting in Durham, North Carolina.<br>Gracie Elizabeth Faye Landa of Burlington, now 18, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with the May 30 shooting death of Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez, 23, of Durham, according to the arrest warrant.<br>Gracie Landa was reported missing from her home in Tampa in June 2023 at the age of 16. <br>A year later, the National Center for Missing &; Exploited Children said authorities believed she had traveled to Durham. However, no public updates on her whereabouts had been issued until her arrest this week.<br>The Durham police report said Piedrasanta-Perez and two women were sitting in a car near Whippoorwill Park around 12:30 a.m. when &#8216;two to three suspects&#8217; emerged from the woods and opened fire on their vehicle.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Christopher-Piedrasanta-Perez-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-484350" style="width:759px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez [photo], 23, was shot in the the head sitting in a car on May when a group of armed people opened fire on the vehicle.</strong> <strong>Gracie Elizabeth Faye Landa, considered missing for the past two years, has been arrested in connection with the shooting</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">According to a newly released search warrant, Piedrasanta-Perez and the two women were at the park that night because one of their friends planned to fight another girl. However, when Piedrasanta-Perez’s Honda Accord pulled up, two or three people came out of the woods and began shooting at his car. Piedrasanta-Perez critically wounded by a gunshot was unable to drive away.<br>Piedrasanta-Perez who was hit in the head was killed, while the two women sustained injuries.<br>Investigators recovered at least 40 shell casings from the scene, a mix of 9mm and .223 rifle rounds, according to an autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.<br>Surveillance video from a nearby building captured two suspects firing at the car before fleeing on foot, a search warrant states.<br>Authorities have not said how Landa is connected to the shooting or whether she was one of the gunmen as her arrest warrant does not clarify whether she was in the car or nearby at the time of the incident.<br>The investigation is ongoing.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Duraham-cops-at-Christopher-Piedrasanta-Perez-shooting-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-484353" style="width:840px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Durham Police</strong> <strong>at the scene of the Whippoorwill Park shooting on May 30 after Christopher </strong> <strong>Piedrasanta-Perez and two women were sitting in a car near Whippoorwill Park around 12:30 a.m. were shot by several suspects who emerged from the woods </strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fight according to the warrant, stemmed from an on-going conflict over a romantic relationship. <br>Piedrasanta-Perez and the others in the car were reportedly present because a friend planned to confront another girl, but when they arrived, they were ambushed.<br>The slain man&#8217;s mother, Amalia Perez, <a href="https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/missing-teen-girl-accused-of-killing-man-in-north-carolina/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&;utm_source=t.co&;utm_medium=referral&;utm_campaign=socialnewsdesk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">maintains</a> that her son had just completed a DoorDash delivery with his girlfriend and was sitting in the car when the shooting occurred.<br>&#8216;Several people came out of the woods and started shooting at them,&#8217; she said, adding that police informed her that additional suspects remain at large.<br>&#8216;I have faith that they will get punished for what they did, because my son didn&#8217;t deserve this,&#8217; Amalia Perez said, adding &#8216;He was not out there looking for trouble. I really don&#8217;t know why this happened. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.&#8217;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Whippoorwill-Park-in-Durham-NC-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-484355" style="width:840px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The shooting in Whippoorwill Park in Durham, NC, on May 30, appears to have stemmed from an ongoing conflict involving a planned fight between two other individuals, according to court docs</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Piedrasanta-Perez was described by family members as a kind and hardworking young man who was the oldest of four siblings.<br>A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-christopher-a-gentle-soul-gone-too-soo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GoFundMe</a> campaign, launched in his memory said his &#8216;presence brought light and comfort to the family.&#8217;<br>&#8216;Christopher was more than just a son, a brother, a friend, he was a light in our lives. With his calm and cool presence, he had a way of making everyone around him feel safe and seen. <br>&#8216;Whether through his quiet smile, his thoughtful words, or the comforting energy he brought into a room, he left an impression that won’t be forgotten,&#8217; the fundraising page reads, but that fundraising page is no longer accepting donations.<br>Landa who remains in the Durham County Jail without bond, made her first court appearance on Tuesday. She is scheduled to return to court on September 11.</p>

Teenager reported missing in Florida two years ago is arrested for murder in North Carolina
