Police say he fired at the ground near his pregnant wife’s feet before she was shot while trying to secure the pistol.
MINT HILL, N.C. — A 41-year-old Mint Hill man was charged after police said his pregnant wife was shot in the stomach during an argument outside their home early Sunday, and the couple’s unborn child died after she was taken to a hospital.
The case has drawn attention because the only public charge so far is discharging a firearm within city limits, even though court records say the shooting followed an argument, a hospital transfer and the death of a seven-month unborn child. Police affidavits and local court reporting also show the bond first set at $1 million was later lowered to $25,000, while an ICE detainer remained in place and prosecutors had not announced homicide-related charges by late Tuesday.
Police say the chain of events began after a Saturday, April 11, birthday gathering at the couple’s home in the 10000 block of Stornoway Court. Investigators said guests had left and the couple were alone on the back porch when an argument broke out. According to the probable cause affidavit, Luis Marcano-Marcano told officers he took out a pistol and fired at the ground near his wife’s feet, then set the gun on the porch rail. His wife later told police she had “accidentally shot herself with a pistol” while trying to secure it. Officers were alerted around 3 a.m. Sunday, April 12, after Novant Mint Hill Medical Center reported that a pregnant woman with a gunshot wound to the stomach had been dropped off by her husband, who then drove away in a red Nissan. Because of the severity of her injuries, medical staff moved her to another hospital. A short time later, the unborn child was pronounced dead.
Investigators said Marcano-Marcano was detained in the hospital lobby and waived his Miranda rights before giving a statement. In that account, police wrote, he said that once the party ended, he and his wife argued on the porch, he fired near her feet and she then grabbed the pistol, tried to put it in her pocket and pulled the trigger. In a second interview, the affidavit says, the wife confirmed that he had shot at the ground near her. She told police she grabbed the gun because he had been drinking and she did not want him to get in trouble for shooting more. Earlier police reports cited by local television stations said officers believed he was impaired by alcohol and narcotics. Authorities have not publicly said how many shots were fired, whether the pistol has been recovered or what the woman’s medical condition was in the latest reports reviewed Wednesday. They also have not described any forensic findings, ballistic work or other evidence beyond the statements summarized in the affidavit.
The gap between the death and the charge is part of why the case has drawn sustained local attention. The public record shows one misdemeanor charge, discharging a firearm within city limits, even though police say a seven-month unborn child died. Court documents cited by local outlets also say Marcano-Marcano had pending warrants in Venezuela and was identified by authorities as a member of Tren de Aragua, which led to an ICE detainer. North Carolina law adds another layer. State statutes create separate crimes for unlawfully causing the death of an unborn child, including murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter of an unborn child. That does not mean prosecutors must file those counts in every case, but it helps explain why the current charge has drawn scrutiny. The same court records and police filings also frame the shooting as the result of an argument that escalated after a night of celebrating, which turned a city gunfire allegation into a case involving a dead unborn child and unanswered questions about what comes next.
During the first bond hearing, a judge described Marcano-Marcano as “a danger to the public” and said throwing the pistol into the woods interfered with the investigation. The judge also said he had introduced a firearm into the conflict and that a life was lost. Court records first showed a $1 million bond. Later Tuesday, according to documents reviewed by local station WSOC, Judge Karen McCallum lowered the bond to $25,000. A spokesperson for McCallum said she could not comment because the case is pending. As of late Tuesday, April 14, prosecutors had not announced murder, manslaughter or other homicide-related charges tied to the unborn child’s death. Reports reviewed Wednesday did not list a public next court date. Police also had not said whether investigators had finished searching for the weapon, whether the woods where it was allegedly thrown had been fully processed or whether the district attorney’s office was still weighing additional charges.
Even in the spare language of police paperwork, the setting stands out for how ordinary it began. Investigators said the couple had been celebrating a birthday only hours before. By the time officers pieced together the account, the setting had shifted from a back porch in a quiet residential block to a hospital lobby and then to a wooded area where Marcano-Marcano said he tossed the gun. The affidavit says he admitted firing next to his wife’s feet, a detail that became central to both the wife’s account and the judge’s concerns at bond. Her explanation carried the sharpest personal detail in the file: she said she grabbed the pistol because he had been drinking and she did not want him to keep shooting. What remains outside the public record is also significant. Police have not released the woman’s condition, the baby’s gestational details beyond seven months or any public investigative summary that would clarify whether the final trigger pull will shape the charging decision.
By Wednesday, April 15, Marcano-Marcano was still the only person charged, and the next clear milestone was any decision by police or prosecutors on whether the case will remain a city gunfire charge or grow into one tied directly to the unborn child’s death.
Author note: Last updated April 15, 2026.