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Roadway firefight kills 1 east of Edinburg; gunmen sought
Sughed:
By Naxiely Lopez
EAST OF EDINBURG — Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies still are trying to sort out a fatal shooting that occurred Wednesday evening on a roadway as they continue to search for several suspects Thursday.
Investigators identified Edinburg resident Manuel Luna, 28, as a victim of the shooting. Luna was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a white Chevy truck near the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 2812 and Uresti Street about 7:30 p.m. Less than a quarter of a mile from the scene, a second vehicle was found engulfed in flames.
“He had a criminal history,” Capt. Norberto Leal said of Luna. Investigators, however, are treating him as a victim until proven otherwise as a motive for the attack has not been established, he added.
Deputies believe Luna and another man, who remains hospitalized, were gunned down by several suspects in at least two other vehicles, Leal said. Investigators did not have an exact number of assailants they were searching for, he added.
The second victim — whom police are not identifying for fear of jeopardizing the investigation —also was shot and taken to a McAllen hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. It is unclear if he was a passenger in the vehicle Luna was found in or how he had arrived at the medical facility.
Deputies are constantly present at the hospital because they want to talk to the surviving victim, who is heavily sedated, Leal said.
Several casings — possibly from high-powered assault rifles — were recovered from the crime scene, but officials refused to comment on the caliber, citing the ongoing investigation.
“They are in the early stages of the investigation, but they are following some promising leads,” Leal said.
Naxiely Lopez covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
