The final suspect the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office accuses of participating in a shooting that killed a 6-year-old girl while she watched television is in custody.
Deputies arrested 43-year-old Alton resident Juan Ramon Olaguez on Wednesday.
He made a first appearance in court Friday morning where he was charged with capital murder of a person under ten years old.
Three other men faced the same charge: 30-year-old McAllen resident William Garcia, 43-year-old Edinburg resident Daniel Guzman Flores and 42-year-old Alton resident Marco Antonio Chairez.
At a press conference last week, Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra said investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a neighborhood dispute that escalated.
The shooting occurred Feb. 23 at approximately 5:07 p.m. in the 2400 block of Valencia Avenue in rural Mission, where more than two dozen rounds were fired at the residence, one of which went through two walls before striking the child as she was lying on a bed watching television, investigators said.
The sheriff’s office is not identifying the child, though she will be likely identified in the future if the men are indicted.
The alleged roles the suspects played in the shooting haven’t been publicly revealed by the sheriff’s office.
In a probable cause affidavit for Flores’ arrest, the man tells investigators that he went to the home with Chairez as back up.
“Daniel stated he saw Marco Antonio Chairez exit the vehicle and shoot at the residence with a firearm,” the affidavit stated.
The affidavit against Flores doesn’t say whether he fired.
The Monitor requested a copy of the probable cause affidavit against Garcia on Monday and a copy of the probable cause affidavit against Olaguez on Friday.
As of press deadline Friday, the newspaper had not received either affidavit.
Hidalgo County routinely requests opinions on probable cause affidavits from the Texas Attorney General’s Office if those documents contain information about a minor, arguing Texas Family Code shields the information from release.
It’s unclear whether the county will seek an opinion on whether it has to release the affidavits for Garcia and Olaguez.
With the final arrest, Guerra fulfilled a promise made to put the full force of his staff behind apprehending the suspects they believe are responsible for the child’s killing.
“These individuals … obviously did a drive-by shooting,” the sheriff said last week. “These individuals are cowards and because it was a 6-year-old child involved, an innocent 6-year-old child, all members of my staff, and especially my Major Crimes Unit, we’re going to work tirelessly until we bring all the suspects in this case to justice.”
Each of the men has received a $1 million bond, and records indicate they remained jailed as of Friday afternoon.
Flores, however, is scheduled to appear before a judge Monday for a bond reduction hearing, where his defense attorney, Daniel R. Reyes, will ask for a bond reduction.
