Following the shooting death of two employees at a Chick-fil-A in Irving, Texas, local authorities in the area have detained a 37-year-old El Salvadorian illegal alien.
The Irving Police Department identified Oved Bernardo Mendoza Argueta as the shooter. He started shooting at the employees of the business on June 26 at approximately 3:40 p.m. local time.
The illegal alien from El Salvador has been accused of numerous counts of capital homicide in connection with the incident at the Chick-fil-A, according to police.
Mendoza Argueta was in the country unlawfully, according to federal immigration authorities.
When EMTs arrived at the scene immediately following the gunshots, they quickly declared both of the two gravely injured victims inside the Chick-fil-A building to be dead.
After Mendoza Argueta left the scene before police arrived, they conducted a brief manhunt in which they eventually located him in his 4-door 1997 Honda.
At first, local authorities told reporters that Mendoza Argueta’s spouse was a Chick-fil-A employee and an eyewitness to the murders and that the shooting was probably “a targeted crime, and this was not a random act of violence.”
His wife was also able to clearly identify her husband as the gunman “with certainty,” according to police records.
Authorities in Irving, Texas, eventually issued a mugshot of Mendoza Argueta, who was shirtless and had a lifeless expression on his face.
While police investigated the incident, some of the crime scene’s windows had screens put in front of them, according to local news teams.
NBC Dallas Fort Worth’s chopper captured numerous individuals, including Chick-fil-A employees, gathered in the restaurant’s parking lot.
In the Irving City jail, the El Salvadorian illegal is presently pending arraignment, according to the police.
“ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Dallas “lodged an immigration detainer with the Irving Police Department on Mendoza,” an ICE official told Fox News.
When the police apprehend a noncitizen on suspicion of a crime, they treat them as an immigration detainee.
Mendoza Argueta had an “ICE hold” per Immigration and Naturalization Service Dallas/Fort Worth’s directives, the Irving Police Department confirmed to Fox News.
According to Irving Police investigators, they have acquired sufficient information to conclude that the defendant acted with premeditation and the intent to kill.
The arrest warrant names Patricia Portillo as one of Mendoza Argueta’s victims.
The authorities have not yet released the second victim’s name because they have not yet notified their next-of-kin.
“The Texas Chick-fil-A franchise owner confirmed the deaths of the two workers and issued a press statement expressing gratitude to the families of the dead and sympathies for the local law enforcement’s response.”
“The tragedy that occurred inside our restaurant on Wednesday has devastated our hearts. We sincerely miss having our two team members,” the statement read.
Our current priorities include caring for our team and the victim’s relatives. I want to express my gratitude to the Irving Police Department for their kindness and professionalism. We’ll be collaborating closely with them while they carry out their investigation.”
Author:Â Scott Dowdy
