North Carolina friend remembers man shot at Kernersville Food Lion

POLICE IMMEDIATELY. WELL, TONIGHT WE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAN WHO WAS SHOT AND KILLED YESTERDAY IN A FOOD LION IN KERNERSVILLE, A SNACK COMPANY, UTZ. CONFIRMED THAT MARCO VARGAS ARELLANO WAS ON THEIR OFFICE WHEN HE WAS KILLED. POLICE HAVE CONFIRMED THAT DYLAN KIGER IS CHARGED WITH MURDER BUT HAVE NOT GIVEN A POSSIBLE MOTIVE. KIGER APPEARED BEFORE A JUDGE THIS MORNING AND IS NOW HOLDING WITHOUT BOULDER. KRIS PETERSON TALKED TO A WOMAN WHO SAYS THE VICTIM HAS A WAY OF DESERVING EVERYONE HE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH. BOONE SAYS SHE KNEW MARCO VARGAS ARELLANO FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND IS STILL TRYING TO PROCESS THE FACT THAT HE’S GONE. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY. YES. JUST WHY. JULIE BOOTH SAYS SHE WILL MISS SEEING HER BOYFRIEND MARCO VARGAS ARELLANO EVERY MORNING. GREAT. THE PERSON HAD THE BEST ATTITUDE EVERY TIME I SAW HIM IN THE MORNING. EVEN WHEN HE CAME IN AT 5 A.M. I ALWAYS HAD THAT BIG OLD SMILE ON HIS FACE. KERNERSVILLE POLICE SAYS VARGAS ARELLANO WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY DYLAN KIGER AT THE FOOD LION ON UNION CROSS ROAD. VARGAS ARELLANO WORKED FOR THE SNACK COMPANY UTZ. BOOTH SAYS HE WAS A DELIVERY MAN AT THE STORE SHE WORKS FOR. HE RINGED MY BELL CARD AND THE RECEPTION SIDE AND OF COURSE I SAW HIM ON THE MONITOR YELLING, MARCO! AND THEN HE. AND HE SAID, POLO! AND OF COURSE I OPENED THE DOOR. AND THAT WAS ALWAYS OUR LITTLE THING. THAT’S WHAT WE DID. BOOTH SAYS SHE COULDN’T DEAL WITH THE NEWS, AS WELL AS OTHER EMPLOYEES WHO KNEW VARGAS ARELLANO. AND I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY. UM, I THINK NO ONE EVER FELT GOOD TOWARDS HIM. HE WAS JUST SUCH A NICE GUY. ALWAYS DIFFICULT. EMPLOYEES FROM BUSINESSES AROUND THE FOOD LION DESCRIBED A TERRIFYING, CHAOTIC SCENE WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENED, AND SAY THEY EVEN HAD TO LOCK THEIR DOORS AND STAY INSIDE FOR SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE GETTING VENTILATION. AND BOOTH SAYS IT’S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME FOR SHE TO GET OVER THE LOSS OF HER FRIEND IN KERNERSVILLE.

Friend remembers victim of shooting at Kernersville Food Lion: “He was like family”

Updated: 1:56 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2024

WXII has learned more about the man shot and killed at a Kernersville Food Lion Wednesday morning. Snack maker Utz confirms Marco Vargas Arellano was on duty for them when he was killed. Kernersville police have confirmed Dillon Kiger is charged with murder, but have not released a possible motive. Kiger was arraigned on July 25 and is now being held without bail. Julie Booth knew Marco Vargas Arellano for several years and is having a hard time processing the fact that he is gone. Julie Booth says Vargas Arellano was like family. According to Kernersville police, Dillon Kiger entered the Food Lion on Union Cross Road and shot Vargas Arellano. He died at the scene. Booth said Vargas Arellano was a salesperson for snack maker Utz and visited her every morning at the store where she works, sometimes bringing his children. Booth said she’s trying to understand why someone would want to hurt her boyfriend, who she describes as a nice, easy-going guy. Booth said they had a special way of greeting each other when he showed up at her store. Booth says, “He rang the front desk and I saw him on the monitor and yelled ‘Marco!’ and he did polo and I opened the door and that was always our little thing. I just don’t understand why. I didn’t think anyone would ever have anything against him.” Employees at stores in the mall surrounding the Food Lion described a scary, chaotic scene and even closed their stores for several hours until they got the all-clear. Booth says it will take time to get over the loss of someone she called family.

KERNERSVILLE, NC —

WXII has learned more about the man shot and killed at a Kernersville Food Lion Wednesday morning. Snack maker Utz confirms Marco Vargas Arellano was on duty for them when he was killed.

Kernersville police have confirmed that Dillon Kiger is charged with murder, but have not released a possible motive. Kiger was arraigned on July 25 and is now being held without bail.

Julie Booth knew Marco Vargas Arellano for several years and is having a hard time coming to terms with his death. Julie Booth says Vargas Arellano was like a family member.

According to Kernersville police, Dillon Kiger entered the Food Lion on Union Cross Road and shot Vargas Arellano. He died at the scene.

Booth said Vargas Arellano was a supplier for the snack company Utz and visited her every morning at the store where she worked, sometimes bringing his children.

Booth said she was trying to understand why someone would want to hurt her boyfriend, who she described as a nice, easy-going guy. Booth said they had a special way of greeting each other when he showed up at her store.

Booth says: “He rang the reception bell and I saw him on the monitor and yelled ‘Marco!’ and he did polo and I opened the door. That was always our little thing. I just don’t understand why. I didn’t think anyone would ever have anything against him.”

Employees at stores in the mall surrounding the Food Lion described a frightening, chaotic scene and even closed their stores for several hours until they received the all-clear. Booth said it will take time to get over the loss of someone she called family.