[October 20, 2009] Police fear weekend Alamo murder may spark gang war Tweet Oct 20, 2009 (The Monitor - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Anyone with information on the case can call Alamo Police (956) 787-1454. ALAMO -- Authorities fear the weekend murder of a local gang leader's girlfriend may ignite a string of reprisal shootings between two rival mobs. A man burst into Erica Reyes' Alamo apartment about 8 p.m. Saturday and fired several gunshots into her chest and face, killing her. Purported Tri-City Bombers gang leader Jeffrey "Dragon" Juarez told police he saw the man shoot the 28-year-old woman at their home in the Oak Square apartment complex that night with their baby girl by his side, authorities said. Now local investigators fear rumors flying among gang members about the slaying could prompt further attacks between the Bombers and their rival, the Texas Chicano Brotherhood -- even when no evidence suggests the murder was gang-related. "They're going to retaliate on other gang members," said Sgt. Lupita Valdez, the Alamo police detective heading the murder investigation. "We don't want other members getting shot at." Police detained Juarez, a general in the Tri-City Bombers gang, immediately after the slaying and questioned him for several hours. Without evidence that suggested he killed Reyes, police let him go Sunday before dawn. "We were able to confirm everything he said," Valdez said. "We had nothing else but to let him go." FALSE RUMORS Surveillance video from Juarez's apartment shows one man clad in a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans enter the unlocked apartment door and fire several gunshots at Reyes, who was in the living room. The footage shows a slender man loitering at the bottom of the stairs, running up about the time the shooting before he fled the area, investigators said. "They just entered to shoot and that was it," said Valdez. While that video corroborates much of the story Juarez reportedly told police, they have not yet ruled him out as a suspect and say they have found some of his behavior since the shooting suspicious. Juarez told investigators Saturday night that he is no longer affiliated with the Tri-City Bombers, even though informants have told police that he remains one of the gang's leaders. Gang intelligence also suggests Juarez has met with low-level TCB members since Reyes' death, telling them to shoot any Chicanos on site, investigators said. Other rumors circulating among gang members claim three Chicano members stormed Juarez's apartment and shot Reyes several times while he jumped a balcony and fled the scene, said Valdez. But Juarez did not raise the possibility that the Chicanos were responsible in his initial interviews with authorities, saying instead she may have been targeted because of his former gang status or because she had enemies of her own. Some TCB members told investigators they question Juarez's motivation for the attack orders, and relatives of Reyes have described their relationship as abusive, authorities said. Even the fact that Juarez has been so cooperative with the investigation -- he submitted to interviews and a gunpowder residue test -- has raised eyebrows. "Everyone that has dealt with Juarez in the past has told me that's not the way he is," Valdez said. "He doesn't like the police. He doesn't cooperate." HEATED RIVALS Tensions have existed between the Tri-City Bombers -- which originated as a breakdancing crew in the 1980s -- and the Chicanos since the latter group split off to create their own gang later that decade. But an uptick in violent incidents between the two gangs in recent months has concerned authorities in Pharr, San Juan, Alamo and Edinburg, prompting some departments to issue night-time curfews. Earlier this year, the slaying of purported Bomber gang member Ricardo Bocanegra at his San Juan smoke shop set off a tit-for-tat gang war that played out through early this summer, authorities said. Investigators believe Bocanegra may have been working with Chicanos and was targeted after their deal went sour. In the following months, at least six other attacks that ended in a total of two injuries and one death were linked back to either Bombers or Chicanos allegedly seeking retribution for a previous violent encounter. One such incident -- in which investigators believe unknown Bombers threw a live grenade into a Pharr nightspot frequented by Chicano leadership -- gained international attention after the undetonated weapon was traced back to a cache controlled by the Zetas. But these attacks are minor when compared to perhaps the most well-known flare up between the two groups, investigators said. In 2003, six men died during a botched drug raid on a Chicano-controlled stash house outside of Edinburg. Thirteen Bombers -- including Juarez, who allegedly approved the attack -- were later indicted on capital murder charges. Prosecutors dropped their case against Juarez before taking it to trial, citing a lack of evidence. The purported gang captain found himself in handcuffs again earlier this year after a bar brawl at McAllen nightspot The Havana Club. He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault in August and was sentenced to 12 days in jail. THE ONCE AND FUTURE SUSPECT? Officers continue to canvass the Oak Square Apartment complex, 309 N. Ninth St., looking for anyone who may have seen something Saturday night. Alamo police has worked with several area police departments, sharing gang intelligence and possible clues in the case. But for Valdez, who said she had not slept in two days, the motive and lack of evidence in the murder of Reyes -- who has a clean criminal record -- remains a mystery. "She was a target," the detective said. "And she was a nobody." Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439. Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437. To see more of The Monitor, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.themonitor.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]