The second of seven suspects charged with attempted capital murder of multiple persons for a drive-by shooting last year was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday.
Francisco Gilberto Garcia Mayo, a 26-year-old San Juan resident, entered a guilty plea to attempted capital murder of multiple persons Thursday. In exchange, the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s asked senior state District Judge Fidencio M. Guerra Jr. to drop charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and deadly conduct discharge firearm.
Per the plea agreement, Guerra dismissed the charges.
Mayo and his co-defendants were arrested after a May 31 drive-by shooting which left two men with gunshot wounds.
After the shooting, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the victims were sitting inside a truck near the corner of Maya Drive and Minnesota Road in the Lopezville area when someone approached and began shooting at them.
The men tried to flee the scene, but were pursued, according to authorities.
The vehicle eventually crashed near Canton and Raul Longoria roads in Edinburg.
Authorities believe the shooting was part of a larger criminal enterprise involving human smuggling.
The other suspect who has already been convicted in the case is 37-year-old Cedar Creek resident Jose Javier Solis, who received the same plea deal as Mayo and also was sentenced to five years in prison.
The remaining defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the charges.
