Three people, including two teenagers from Fort Hancock, have been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the fatal shooting of two 20-year-old men at a Central El Paso park earlier this month. Jesus Ivan Lopez, 20, of El Paso; Jose Emmanuel Saldana, 19, of Fort Hancock; and Manuel Canedo, 17, also of Fort Hancock, were all booked into the El Paso County downtown jail on Friday.
The three suspects are accused in the deaths of Joshua Michael Himes and Francisco Javier Ignacio, both 20, who were shot and killed on Sept. 12 at Upper Tom Lea Park, located at 900 Rim Road, according to KFOX. Police say a fight broke out between the two victims and the shooter or shooters at 3:39 a.m., and investigators believe the suspect or suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle.
All three men now face capital murder of multiple persons charges, according to jail records cited by CBS4. Bond had not been set for any of the three suspects as of Friday.
How Investigators Closed In on the Suspects
The arrests came together with help from multiple law enforcement agencies working alongside El Paso police. The station's report notes that EPPD's Gang Unit, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers all assisted in making the arrests possible.
Police have described the shooting as occurring during a hangout that turned violent after a fight broke out between the group and the shooter or shooters, per the same account. No further details on what triggered the confrontation, or on the specific roles each suspect allegedly played, have been released.
Two Young Lives Lost at a Familiar Neighborhood Park
Himes and Ignacio were both 20 years old at the time of their deaths. Upper Tom Lea Park sits in Central El Paso, a stretch of Rim Road that overlooks the city and is generally known as a quiet spot rather than the scene of violence.
Because Canedo is 17, questions remain about how his case will proceed through the justice system, though no information on that process has been released. Whether any of the three suspects have retained attorneys or entered pleas has also not been disclosed.
