Hit-and-run claims life of former Queens University student athlete, CMPD says

A former student athlete at Queens University of Charlotte was killed in a hit-and-run while walking along The Plaza in Charlotte, investigators say.

Lance Andreas Jesus Sotelo, 25, died at the scene, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a Jan. 15 news release.

Sotelo was a past member of the Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams at Queens University, and had competed as recently as 2025, the university reports.

The deadly crash occurred around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the 3300 block of The Plaza, which is largely commercial, maps show.

“Upon arrival, officers located a severely injured pedestrian … in the roadway. MEDIC responded and pronounced Mr. Sotelo deceased on the scene,” CMPD said.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that the vehicle that struck Mr. Sotelo was a white Chevrolet Impala. The Impala was traveling southwest on The Plaza at East 36^th Street when the vehicle ran a red light at the intersection and struck Mr. Sotelo, before fleeing the scene.”

On Thursday, Jan. 15, Q’Laundra Kadri Hood, 28, was identified as the driver, CMPD said. Hood turned herself in at the Hickory Grove Division office, officials said.

She has been charged with:

• Felony hit-and-run
• Involuntary manslaughter
• No operator’s license
• Failing to stop at a red light

A 2023 Facebook post by Queens University of Charlotte noted Sotelo was a student-athlete, resident assistant and student body president at the time. He graduated in 2023, then began work on an MBA from the McColl School of Business, the university reported. His is originally from Dalton, Georgia, where he earned Cross Country MVP honors in high school, according to the Cross Country team roster.

“I would never want to be at a school where I am just a number. I love being somewhere where I am ‘somebody.’ Somebody that people know, somebody that people say ‘hi’ to across campus, and somebody who is able to have an impact,” Sotelo was quoted saying in a 2023 article published by the university.

A GoFundMe campaign is raising money for funeral expenses. “He had no life insurance and had just landed a nice job the day he was struck,” the campaign reports. “He loved to run, and that is what he was doing when he was killed.”

Among those posting tributes to Sotelo on social media was Juan Diego “JD” Mazuera Arias, councilman for Charlotte’s District 5.

“I knew Lance. We weren’t close, but we attended Queens University of Charlotte together. I last saw him at an event last December. He should still be here,” Arias wrote in a Facebook post.

“It was preventable. … Lance was killed on a street that is part of Charlotte’s High Injury Network — roads we already know are dangerous. That is a failure of design and a failure of urgency.”