Sheriff: Valley man fatally shot while attempting to rob father, son

HARLINGEN — A man who attempted to rob a father and son at gunpoint Thursday night was fatally shot after the father wrestled the gun away from him and fired five times, Sheriff Omar Lucio said.

Francisco Antonio Moreno, 31, of Brownsville, fled the scene with an accomplice, but was found dead a short time later near a neighborhood in Harlingen, Lucio said.

The shooting occurred after Moreno, Ramon Cardoza, 21, of San Benito, and an unidentified man attempted to rob a family off of Rabb Road near La Feria Thursday night, Lucio said.

As the father was being assaulted by the men, he struggled in self-defense and was able to take a handgun from Moreno and fire the weapon five times, fatally wounding Moreno in the process, according to a statement officers obtained from the father.

Moreno and the unidentified man fled in an SUV while the victims held Cardoza until La Feria police arrived, officials said.

Lucio identified Louis Earl Dixon as the man that was physically assaulted by the men.

Dixon told investigators that he and his 21-year-old son were approached by three men, wearing masks, outside of their home Thursday night.

According to Dixon, the men asked for money and were carrying a bat, a handgun and knives. Dixon told investigators that he was struck in the head with a bat after he refused to cooperate with the men.

Dixon told police that, in an act of self-defense, he was able to take the gun from Moreno and fire it five times, and that with the help of his son, he captured Cardoza and held him until police arrived, Lucio said. Dixon told police that Moreno and the other man fled in an SUV, Lucio said.

Lucio stated that around 10 p.m. Thursday, a Harlingen police officer on patrol spotted Moreno‘s body with a gunshot wound to the torso near the curb of road in a Harlingen neighborhood off of Karime and Julia Marie Drive.

Lucio said that the HPD officer spotted an SUV with Mexican license plates leaving the scene. Lucio said that it was unclear how Moreno ended up in Harlingen, but that the investigation into the case is ongoing.

Lucio said that Moreno did not have any form of identification on him, but that he was later identified as an accomplice in the aggravated robbery attempt.

Lucio stated that Cardoza was in Cameron County Jail, as of Friday night, and is facing aggravated robbery charges.

Luicio added that investigators continue to search for the third man linked to the attempted aggravated robbery.