A man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of two longtime friends and grandfathers who were shot and killed in an apparent random surprise attack at a Houston park.
Charles Ernest Lopez, 24, is charged with capital murder. A judge denied him bond on Tuesday due to the gravity of the alleged crime, according to KHOU.
Natanael Fuentes Reyes, 68, and Guadalupe Flores, 74, were shot while walking in Wildheather Park at 14900 White Heather Drive in Houston on Friday, June 27, around 5:45 a.m.
A neighbor’s camera captured the sound of seven shots fired in quick succession; police suspect the victims were ambushed and possibly shot from behind.
“As they were walking the trails, it appears that somebody either ambushed them or came up from behind them and fired multiple gunshots into both victims, and even stood over them and fired more gunshots into their body,” Houston Police Department investigator Michael Arrington told KHOU.
A witness in the park reported seeing Fuentes Reyes and Flores’ bodies and noticing a man driving away in a white, four-door sedan. The witness called police, and medics arrived and pronounced the two victims dead.
The following Monday, officers located the suspect, Lopez, and arrested him following a traffic stop. According to the Houston Police Department, he “admitted his role in the shooting.”
Family members of Fuentes Reyes and Flores told KTRK that the men were longtime friends, grandfathers, and neighbors.
According to Arrington, there was nothing missing from the victims, so the shooting did not appear to be a robbery. Authorities have not provided a motive, and it is unclear whether the victims and suspect had a prior relationship.
A family spokesperson for Fuentes Reyes told KHOU that they are “devastated by the loss of their loved ones, who were completely innocent victims.”
“Natanael and Guadalupe were unaware they were in danger while on their morning walk in their community park,” according to a spokesperson. “No one should pass away in this manner; it is difficult to process the fear and pain they endured on their final moments of life.”
Court records reviewed by KTRK revealed that shell casings discovered at the crime scene matched two other cases nearby.
A capital murder charge in Texas could lead to the death penalty.
