Son of prominent Dominican politician shot dead in Texas

[April 04, 2024]  By Jonathan Allen
 
(Reuters) - The son of a Dominican lawmaker was fatally shot at a gas station in Houston, Texas, according to police, who said on Wednesday they were searching for four men wanted for what they called a targeted killing.

The Houston Police Department identified the victim of the shooting, which took place on Monday evening, as Luis Alfredo Pacheco Rojas, the son of Alfredo Pacheco, who oversees the lower house of the Dominican Republic's legislature.

Police officers were called to a gas station at around 7:45 p.m. CST on Tuesday to find two men shot.

Pacheco, 34, had arrived at the gas station with three other men and shopped at the convenience store before returning to the vehicle.

Four other men with long guns arrived in two cars, got out, and began shooting, according to police, who described it as a "targeted attack." Pacheco and one of the other men ran back inside the store but were both hit by bullets.

The attackers fled in their cars. Police released images of the suspects.

Pacheco was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. He was a rap musician who performed under the stage name El Pikante, the Houston Chronicle reported. Another victim, a 29-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Houston police said they had spoken with Pacheco's father, a member of the Dominican Republic's ruling Modern Revolutionary Party who has been the president of the Chamber of Deputies since 2020.

"With great regret, I announce the unexpected death of my son," the elder Pacheco said in a brief statement.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell)

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