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Victims identified after Garland shooting leaves 3 teens dead

Stella M. Chávez
/
KERA News
Four teenagers were struck by gunfire, and three were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Three teenagers were killed and a fourth critically injured in a shooting at a Dallas-area convenience store, police said.

The victims of the shooting were identified by the Garland Police Department Monday night as 14-year-old Xavier Gonzalez, 16-year-old Ivan Noyala and 17-year-old Rafael Garcia. The injured teen that remains in the hospital has not yet been named.

Police had arrested a 14-year-old who they suspected was the shooter, but he's been released and isn't being charged. They say he has intimate knowledge of the shooting and is cooperating.

Police believe this attack was retaliation from a previous disturbance and was targeted.

The shooting happened Sunday night in the Dallas suburb of Garland and was captured on surveillance video, the Garland Police Department said. According to police, a suspect exited a white pickup truck, went inside the store and opened fire. The surveillance video shows him sneaking up to the convenience store door, opening it, then repeatedly firing what police say is a 40 caliber pistol. They recovered 20 rounds.

Chief Bryan said this one’s difficult; for him, his officers, and the families.

"We're trying to complete a accurate and thorough investigation and arrest. We owe that to the families. The second thing we're trying to do is support the families. I mean, the day after Christmas, they've lost their loved ones."

After the shooting the suspect got back into the truck and sped away.

Garland police say 33-year-old Richard Acosta Jr., who is believed to be the driver of the truck, has been arrested after turning himself in on Monday.

Acosta is at the Garland Detention Center. He has been charged with capital murder and his bond is set at $1 million.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Miranda Suarez is KERA’s Tarrant County accountability reporter. Before coming to North Texas, she was the Lee Ester News Fellow at Wisconsin Public Radio, where she covered statewide news from the capital city of Madison. Miranda is originally from Massachusetts and started her public radio career at WBUR in Boston.