A suspect in a Fort Worth murder from 2020 was taken into custody after attempting to enter the United States with a fraudulent Texas ID.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents flagged 47-year-old Jesus Javier Rios for having suspicious identification when he tried to cross the Paso Del Norte pedestrian bridge in El Paso on September 26.
He was taken for further processing. A scan of his fingerprints soon revealed that Rios was not the person he claimed to be and had several active warrants for his arrest.
Rios had an Ector County warrant for allegedly violating probation. He had another out of Coconino County for failing to appear in court. However, the most serious warrant was for a murder charge lodged by Tarrant County.
The incident occurred in February 2020. Rios allegedly shot a male victim in a random attack. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Rios slowed his vehicle and began speaking to 34-year-old Fernando Mendoza while the latter was walking down Roosevelt Avenue with his girlfriend.
An argument reportedly broke out, and Rios pulled over, exited the SUV, and shot Mendoza in the face, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mendoza died a few days later.
The following day, Rios got into an accident in Odessa and was charged with drunk driving. The incident led to him being identified as the suspect in the Fort Worth shooting.
Rios reportedly managed to slip away to Mexico following the drunk driving incident, but he was apprehended when he tried to re-enter the United States.
After being detained by CBP agents, Rios was handed over to the El Paso Police Department. He will remain in El Paso County jail until he is extradited to Tarrant County.
In a press release, CBP highlighted that Rios was just one of 21 individuals apprehended with outstanding warrants at various ports of entry within a week. The warrants included offenses such as parental kidnapping, assault, and robbery.
“CBP officers process thousands of law-abiding people on a daily basis,” explained Ray Provencio, acting director of field operations at CBP El Paso. “Fugitives will try to blend into regular traffic, however, the thorough inspection process employed at our area ports by CBP [identifies] and stops those who are being sought by law enforcement.”
Violent crime has been an issue in North Texas in recent years, particularly in Dallas, where there have been 195 murders logged by the Dallas Police Department this year as of October 2, a 10.8% year-over-year increase.
DPD has been enduring a serious staffing shortage, maintaining a force of only around 3,200 sworn officers. A City report previously indicated that a force of 4,000 was needed.
Downtown Dallas has felt the shortage, with high rates of auto theft, burglary, and assault clocked, as covered by The Dallas Express. Fort Worth has a dedicated police unit and private security guards monitoring its city center.