HARLINGEN — Police have identified the Brownsville man who was murdered early Wednesday morning and have arrested five other people in connection with the crime.
Byron Pineda, 32, died of a gunshot wound to the back after he was allegedly shot by a 16-year-old boy during an altercation at a party.
Five people who were at the party have been charged because they failed to report the crime right away, police said.
Charged with a Class A misdemeanor for failing to report a felony are Stephanie Lee Lopez, 31, Crystal Rae Ramos, 24, Lorraine Camero, 24, Isis Rene Rivera, 33, and Albert Alexander Hernandez, 21.
Police Sgt. David Osborne said they failed to call police or emergency services and failed to render aid to the victim.
The apartment renter, Ramos, will be charged with an additional third-degree felony for tampering with evidence, police said.
According to Osborne, Ramos tried to clean up blood from the crime scene before police arrived, destroying evidence.
Officers were called to Harlingen Medical Center at 2:07 a.m. Wednesday for a man who had died of a gunshot wound.
Investigators learned the shooting happened inside an apartment at the Rosemont Apartments at 1901 E. Tyler Ave., just east of 19th Street.
The suspect in the shooting is a 16-year-old Harlingen boy who is being charged with the murder of Pineda.
He currently is being held at the Darrell B. Hester Juvenile Justice Center in San Benito.
According to witnesses, Pineda was at a party at the apartment complex when he began to fight with another man.
During the altercation, the suspect shot Pineda in the back, police said.
“Investigators believe this is a known and invited subject to persons at the apartment and an isolated incident where an individual used deadly force against another during an altercation,” police said.
Pineda died at the scene and was then taken Harlingen Medical Center.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, members of HPD’s Organized Crime Unit, Major Crimes Unit, HPD SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Service’s Gulf Coast Violent Offender & Fugitive Task Force arrested the suspect in the 1400 block of Morgan Boulevard.
