Police keep vigilant after alleged inter-gang killing

SAN JUAN — Flowers and funeral wreaths marked the spot next to a trash bin where Rogelio Pardo Jr. was found beaten to death.

A few feet away, spray-painted letters spoke to the lifestyle that may have led to the 36-year-old’s death.

Pardo was a member of the Vallucos prison gang, and the people being held in connection with his slaying are Tri-City Bombers. While Pardo and his alleged killers were acquaintances and possibly friends, investigators say an argument over a small amount of drugs and a radio led to his death. And it’s feared his slaying will spark more violence between the gangs.

Within weeks of the Jan. 16 killing, authorities said they tracked down eight suspects directly tied to the slaying and one man who remains in custody accused of aiding the flight of his fellow gang members.

PARDO SLAYING

The slaying took place in the early hours of Jan. 16, when the victim and eight other individuals were spending time at a residence in the La Condesa Apartments. Authorities said that at the time of the killing, the group was using illicit drugs and alcohol.

The group included Pardo, David “Prophet” Enriquez, Regino “El Reggie” Gonzalez, Rudy “El Venado” Ramirez, Robert “Stretch” Garcia, Damian “Nemo” Suarez, Arturo “Spongebob” Mendoza, Hector “Kid” Mendoza and Adriana “La Blood” Garcia.

After an argument, the group beat Pardo inside and outside the apartment and subsequently placed the body next to a trash bin.

Authorities apprehended all the suspects before members of the Vallucos could take matters into their own hands, San Juan police Chief Juan Gonzalez said.

“We didn’t want any bystanders caught in the middle,” Gonzalez said. “Our goal was to prevent the violence from escalating.”

Inside the red brick building, the apartment where the murder took place speaks volumes about the life led by gang members, said a gang investigator. Vodka bottles lined the wall and dirty clothes were littered throughout the dingy floors and furniture inside the apartment. The walls of the apartment were spray-painted with graffiti that told of their affiliation with the Tri-City Bombers and their gang names. Pictures on the walls showed the suspects making gang hand gestures.

“This is how they live,” the investigator said in a disgusted voice. “Their children played here.

“What kind of message were they giving their children?”

GANG HISTORY

“It’s all part of their environment,” Gonzalez said, explaining why teens join gangs. “How they grew up, their family condition, who their friends were, their role models — everything plays a role on whether a teen will join a gang.”

The phenomenon of gangs in the United States can be traced back to the start of the 20^th century, according to the National Gang Center. That’s when various ethnics groups immigrated and began gathering for protection from harassment and eventually from protection from other gangs. Gangs have since evolved in relation to their identifiers; however race or national origin continue to play a big role in organizations.

While recruits to the early U.S. gangs sought protection, their modern-day counterparts often are teenagers seeking to fill a void, said Edinburg police spokesman Oscar Treviño.

Gonzalez agreed with Treviño.

“It’s all about attention and recognition,” Gonzalez said. Teens “want to be recognized; they want to be part of something.”

In Edinburg, authorities have identified 14 gangs, including juvenile gangs, street gangs and prison gangs. 

In the Pharr, San Juan and Alamo areas, authorities have identified at least 17 different gangs with more than 150 active members, Gonzalez said.

“They start with petty crime and graduate to robberies and in some cases, ultimately, murder,” he said referring to the Pardo slaying, in which two of the suspects were 17 and 18.

The Tri-City Bombers has been in the PSJA area for a long time, Gonzalez said.

“A high percentage of our investigations deal with them because they are generally behind most crimes,” Gonzalez said. “They deal in violent crimes: murder, robberies, extortion, drugs and auto theft. That’s why a big part of our resources are concentrated on this gang.”

GANG UNIT

Soon after the slaying of Pardo, the only information available to investigators was the nicknames of the suspects, Gonzalez said. From the nicknames, authorities were able to get their real names and their entire biographies thanks to their Gang Scope database and their like-named unit.

The Gang Scope Unit was formed in 2009 after San Juan police received a grant to acquire the database, which is a detailed biography of every known gang member in the area. The database includes their basic information, their criminal history, their family ties, their acquaintances, their tattoos and any other information that authorities can gather.

To continue updating their information, Gang Scope members carry out intelligence gathering operations where they go to known gang hangouts, looking to not only make arrests, but to also get a chance to talk to the gang members.

On Friday night, the unit got additional help from Alamo police as the two units worked both cities, going to various neighborhoods and bars.

Outside of La Condesa Apartments, the investigators spoke with various teens as they tried to gather more intelligence.

Later that night they went to various bars, where they not only spoke with gang members but also got pictures of their tattoos. That night, the information was added to the database for future reference.

In order to be placed in the Gang Scope database, the gang member must meet certain criteria that legally classify them as a gang member, Gonzalez said.

During the gang investigation, the Gang Scope Unit has identified certain ties between local gangs and members of Mexican drug cartels who try to keep a low profile in the U.S. and use the gangs — including the TCB — for auto theft and drug, human and arms smuggling, Gonzalez said.

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Ildefonso Ortiz covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at iortiz@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4437.

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BACKGROUND
Read earlier chapters in this story
>> Victim's family confronts suspects in court after alleged inter-gang killing
>> Gang members charged with murder