Illegal immigrant held on federal gun charge after shots fired at Pharr motel
PHARR — An illegal immigrant faces federal charges after he was found with a stolen handgun and ammunition Friday.
Pharr police arrested Mexican national Jose Wilmer Naranjo Aguilar, 25, about 2 a.m. Friday at Value Place, 1207 W. Expressway 83, after a report of shots fired at the motel.
Police recovered a stolen .40-caliber Beretta pistol, 48 rounds of .40-caliber ammunition and 29 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, according to a complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court.
Pharr police encountered Naranjo after the motel clerk reported a suspicious masked male running inside the building.
Naranjo told Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents he chambered a bullet into the handgun when he heard a knock at his motel room door, according to the complaint. He put the gun in a trashcan when he realized police were at the door.
Naranjo said he possessed the handgun for about three months. Federal law bars illegal immigrants from possessing firearms.
Police also found two deactivated grenades with Naranjo, as well. Possessing dummy grenades without any gunpowder inside violates no laws.
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Jared Taylor covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4439.
