GARLAND, Texas – Garland police are seeking help from the public to find the 14-year-old accused of opening fire inside a convenience store Sunday, killing three people and injuring another.
Abel Elias Acosta is being sought by police after they said evidence was found that identified him as the gunman. He is facing charges of capital murder and a Directive to Apprehend has been issued for him.
Police said he is the son of Richard Acosta Jr., who was arrested by police after they identified him as the getaway driver of the white truck that was seen on surveillance video outside the Texaco gas station on Walnut Lane.
“[Richard] voluntarily turned himself in two days ago,” Garland PD Lt. Pedro Barineau said. “And when he turned himself in, we were and to locate and recover the truck.”
He is also facing a murder charge, but police will not say what role he might have had in planning the attack.
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Police had previously arrested another 14-year-old they believed was the gunman. But he was not charged for the crime and was released to his family. Police said he remains a person of interest in this case.
Information on juvenile suspects is not normally released, but police said that “due to the nature of the offense and potential risk to the public, the court has authorized the release of his information.”
Police have not yet released details about what led them to identify Abel as the killer, but they said he’s on the run while his father is in a jail cell.
“He is actively eluding arrest as of right now,” Barineau said. “He’s still considered armed and he’s still considered dangerous.”
Barineau added that police believe this was a “targeted, retaliatory attack.”
Three teens were killed in the shooting.
Rafael Garcia and Ivan Noyola were there together. Police believe at least one was involved in a previous disturbance with the shooter.
While the family of the third victim, Xavier Gonzalez, said he was an innocent bystander who went to the store to buy tacos for his family.
“He ain’t make it home because somebody made a bad decision,” Gonzalez’s uncle, Rafael Gonzalez, said. “The things that he got caught up in in that store, it wasn’t his problem. Somebody made it their problem. That’s the bad thing about it, but he had nothing to do with that.”
Dozens of family members and friends attended Gonzalez’ viewing at a funeral home Wednesday. They were still in disbelief about what happened Sunday at the Texaco in Garland.
“God will take care of him, one way or another. We all pay the price for anything stupid that we do in this world,” Rafael said.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Garland police or 911.
Tips may be made anonymously to Garland Crime Stoppers at 972-272-8477 or www.garlandcrimestoppers.org.
