NC man charged with murder of Charlotte man found dead in Indian Land van
A Charlotte man has been arrested for murder in the shooting death of a 74-year-old man outside a South Carolina store, officials said.
Police took Calvin Lamarr Allen, 44, into custody in Charlotte Friday morning, four days after the body of Gary Herendeen was found shot to death outside an Indian Land business where Herendeen worked, Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said.
Herendeen, also of Charlotte, was found dead off Yarborough Road east of Fort Mill and south of the Ballantyne area of Charlotte.
Allen knew Herendeen from a Mecklenburg County boarding house where both lived at one time, Faile said in a statement Friday. The two had apparently “fell out” sometime previously, according to the sheriff.
Lancaster deputies, along with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, found Allen Friday and arrested him, sheriff’s office spokesman Doug Barfield told The Herald.
Details of what evidence police have tying Allen to the crime were not released.
Sheriff: Victim found partially in van days after he died
Herendeen worked part-time at The Designers Marketplace on Yarborough Road and sometimes slept in his van, according to the sheriff.
Officials said they believe Herendeen was sleeping in the van on the night of Jan. 1 into Jan. 2 when he was shot. Herendeen was found Jan. 5 partially inside the van, the sheriff said.
The business was closed over the past weekend after the new year holiday before the body was found Monday.
What happens now?
Allen faces murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime charges in South Carolina, officials said. Because he was arrested in North Carolina, Lancaster County officials must extradite him to South Carolina to serve arrest warrants.
It remains unclear if Allen will waive extradition or challenge it. He has not yet appeared in Mecklenburg County court.
In South Carolina a conviction for murder carries 30 years to life in prison.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 1:12 PM.
