Two men are in custody following the death of an off-duty Border Patrol agent who was killed during a botched robbery. Willacy County Sheriffs Office deputies reported taking 40-year-old Ismael Hernandez and 30-year-old Gustavo Tijerina into custody. Both men are being questioned in the death of off-duty Border Patrol agent Javier Vega, Jr. near the rural community of Santa Monica. The off-duty agent, his father, mother wife and children were reportedly fishing when the suspects arrived and tried to rob them around 8 p.m. Sunday. The Border Patrol agent from Kingsville was visting family in the Rio Grande Valley. When the suspects saw Vega had a weapon, they got alarmed and started firing. Shots were being exchanged, but the firefight ended with Vega being shot in the chest and his father being shot in the hip. Authorities told Action 4 News, the two men are from Matamoros in the U.S. illegally. The suspects fled the scene but Vegas mother put everyone in the familys car and drove to the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen. Vega died but his father survived. Deputies found the suspects vehicle a few miles away from the crime where they noticed the car had shots through the windshield. Investigators said the two men were found hiding in a shed of a home in Sebastian where the homeowner called police to tell them where they were hiding. Both Hernandez and Tijerina are expected to face capital murder charges and aggravated burglary charges. Court records show that Tijerina has a previous criminal history including DWI, unlawful carrying a weapon, assault family violence and felony marijuana possession going back to 2007. Hernandez did not appear to have a criminal history.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:45:45 +0000
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