Third arrest made in connection to shooting death

NEWS Staff Report 

HARLINGEN — Police have made a third arrest in connection to the

HARLINGEN — Police have made a third arrest in connection to the shooting death of 19-year-old Eduardo Zapata of Weslaco.

Ivan Hermilio Andaverde-Ledezma, 21, of San Benito was arrested on outstanding warrants for murder and three counts of aggravated assault, according to a press release issued by Harlingen police department.

Police were called at approximately 11:18 a.m. on Jan. 18 in reference to a suspicious vehicle call regarding a possible wanted subject.

The vehicle in question was stopped on the 1800 block of W. Tyler Avenue, and police identified the passenger as Ledezma.

The shooting occurred on Jan. 2 near the Harlingen Hotel Events Center on West Expressway 83.

Police were called to the scene at approximately 8:30 p.m. in reference to shots fired.

They found a vehicle at the scene that appeared to have been shot with a shotgun.

Police found a deceased male a few hundred feet east of the hotel’s parking lot along the frontage road. They also found a shotgun near his body.

A second victim, female, was grazed by a stray shotgun pellet and taken to the hospital for evaluation. According to police, she was a bystander.

They also found a second vehicle that had damage that appeared to be from a gunshot.

According to Harlingen police, it appeared as if the suspects had abandoned the vehicle and fled.

A 63-year-old man identified as Sergio Olivares of Harlingen and 23-year-old Carlos Cesar Andaverde-Ledezma were also arrested earlier this month.

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