Shots fired at tire shop

Oscar Rodarte is wanted on multiple warrents in contection with a shooting in San Benito 

By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbnewspaper.com

San Benito Police Department (SBPD) investigators are probing a shooting that occurred late last Thursday morning at a tire shop located on the 1800 block of E. Bus. 77.

According to SBPD Detective Kathy Pardo, the confrontation between the parties occurred around 11 a.m. at Hermanos Tire & Service. According to Pardo, the suspects, one of which was unidentified and still at large as of Thursday’s newspaper deadline, exchanged gunfire with two individuals at the tire shop. Investigators said shop employees were not tied to the incident.

A male subject was shot and treated, according to authorities. The suspects fled the scene. Casings were recovered on site, but police were unsure of the number of rounds that were fired, as of press time.

Authorities also said that more details will be released at a later time, including a description of the suspect at large and the impetus of the incident.

“It was an automatic (one of the weapons involved in the shooting). We don’t know the caliber yet. We do know a handgun was involved, but because we haven’t made a (second) arrest, I don’t know how much information I can give you right now,” Pardo explained.

“When officers arrived there (on the scene), he (the responding officer) observed that a male had been shot,” said Pardo. “The two suspects did flee the scene, and the male did receive medical care from the responding officers.”

Pardo declined to say where on his body the victim was shot due to the ongoing investigation but confirmed that the victim was male, approximately in his late 20s in age, and he did receive emergency care.

Arrest warrants were issued for Oscar Rodarte, 22-years-old, of Harlingen, on charges of Aggravated Robbery, a 1st Degree Felony, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, a 2nd Degree Felony.

Pardo went on to add that the four individuals involved in the shooting were acquaintances prior to the incident, and a suspect was seeking service at the shop when the alleged incident occurred.

The detective explained that in certain cases, police will solicit the public for information, but in this case, investigators know the parties involved and other vital details relating to the case, so releasing certain information, at this juncture, can hinder the investigation.

This shooting incident is believed to be unrelated to an officer-involved shooting currently being investigated by the Texas Rangers. The incident occurred last Tuesday around 1:30 a.m. outside the San Benito City Limits on Birch Street, according to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson Sgt. Maria Hernandez.

The subject involved in the shooting was treated at a local hospital, according to a DPS statement. The press release indicates that a yet-to-be-publically-identified Cameron County Sheriff’s Office Deputy allegedly involved in the incident was placed on paid administrative leave pending the Rangers’ investigation, as is standard protocol.