At a Monday sentencing hearing, Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey sentenced 18-year-old Jose Raul Alarcon Sanchez to 35 months in prison for firing a rifle from Dallas's Margaret McDermott Bridge shortly after midnight on New Year's Day, amid stopped traffic and nearby fireworks. Godbey said that although Alarcon Sanchez is young, his conduct was “incredibly dangerous” and warranted a significant prison sentence.
Alarcon Sanchez, who is from Grand Prairie, was sentenced for unlawful firearm possession, according to federal court records. As reported by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, Alarcon Sanchez entered the U.S. in May 2025 on a temporary visitor visa, never requested an extension, and simply stayed in the country after it expired instead of returning to Mexico.
A Bridge Packed With Holiday Revelers Becomes a Shooting Scene
According to the Department of Justice, federal court documents describe Alarcon Sanchez and a co-defendant amid stopped traffic and spectators on the bridge shortly after midnight on January 1. The two men allegedly fired rifles as people gathered nearby. The bridge carries Interstate 30 and pedestrian paths over the Trinity River near downtown; Dallas police recovered more than 100 shell casings, and authorities said more than 100 rounds were fired.
The complaint filing reported that 79 casings of 5.56/.223-caliber and four 9-millimeter fired cartridge casings were recovered at the scene, per the same account. Designed in part by architect Santiago Calatrava as part of Dallas's Horseshoe Project, the Margaret McDermott Bridge's 350-foot steel arches have made it one of the city's most recognizable landmarks; the pedestrian bridges opened in 2021, according to the Trinity River Corridor Project.
Ballistics and Social Media Led Investigators to the Suspect
ATF agents and Dallas police linked one recovered gun to shell casings collected from the bridge, according to the Department of Justice. Investigators also found social media photos and videos of Alarcon Sanchez holding weapons similar to those used in the shooting, the article notes. A search of his home turned up several firearms, per the same account.
Dallas police detectives also discovered that Grand Prairie police had separately arrested Alarcon Sanchez in the early morning hours of New Year's Day for a firearm discharge offense in that suburban city, which borders western Dallas, according to CBS News. He reportedly was found with live rounds in his pockets and van and an AK-47-style rifle at that time, the outlet's report indicates.
Co-Defendant Faces Separate Misdemeanor, DOJ Officials React
A second suspect, 20-year-old Anthony Acevedo of Grand Prairie, was also arrested in connection with the bridge shooting and later released on bond. He faces a state charge of discharging a firearm in certain municipalities, the report states.
Ryan Raybould said spraying rifle fire off a downtown bridge is a lawless act that puts Dallas residents at risk, adding that the sentence makes clear anyone who turns a celebration into a crime scene will face swift and serious federal consequences. Brian Garner said ATF agents and law enforcement partners followed the evidence from shell casings to the firearm and the shooter, and the ATF said it will continue using its investigative resources to identify firearms and shooters and build accountability cases.
Ballistics Trail Also Cracked a Separate Road-Rage Case
The same ballistics investigation into the bridge shooting unexpectedly linked a third man, 25-year-old Anderson Derce Lara, to an unrelated November road-rage shooting. Authorities say Derce Lara fired multiple rounds into a vehicle occupied by three adults and three children, the youngest just 3 years old, according to police. WFAA reports that ballistic testing on firearms seized during the bridge probe tied Derce Lara to that earlier crime, and he now faces six counts of first-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is being held on an immigration hold.
The New Year's Eve gunfire came amid a large Dallas police response as 2026 began, with officers receiving calls about celebratory gunfire and fireworks. Ahead of the following July 4 weekend, the Dallas Police Department announced updated holiday enforcement plans specifically aimed at deterring celebratory gunfire and illegal fireworks after the bridge video spread widely on social media, according to a Facebook post from Stance.live.
What Dallas records show about celebratory gunfire
The available city data documents a substantial New Year's Eve response: according to the Dallas Police Department, cited by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, officers received 759 calls about celebratory gunfire and 273 calls about fireworks. The figures show the scale of New Year's Eve reports.
