An illegal alien from El Salvador opened fire at a Chick-fil-A in Irving, Texas, resulting in the deaths of two employees on Wednesday. Oved Bernardo Mendoza Argueta, 37, has been arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the incident.
UPDATE: We have identified the suspect & need everyone to be on the lookout for OVED BERNARDO MENDOZA ARGUETA, 37 yo. Last seen driving a silver 1997 Honda 4-dr, TXLP#GVH6205. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPREHEND OR CONTACT THE SUSPECT, but call 911 immediately if you know his whereabouts pic.twitter.com/oA4ULNlbYX [1]
— Irving Police Dept. (@IrvingPD) June 26, 2024 [2]
The victims have been identified as Patricia Portillo, 49, a grandmother and Brayan Alexis Godoy, 31, a father of four. According to Anthony Alexander of the Irving Police Department, authorities believe the shooting was a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence.
The event occurred at the Chick-fil-A located at 5350 MacArthur Boulevard, where Argueta’s wife was employed. After the shooting, Argueta fled the scene in a silver Honda. He was apprehended by police the following morning at 2:50 am and is currently held at Irving Jail.
UPDATE (2): After multiple units worked tirelessly overnight on the murder investigation that occurred yesterday, officers located & took the suspect (OVED BERNARDO MENDOZA ARGUETA) into custody at approx. 2:50 am. He is currently in the Irving City Jail & waiting to be arraigned pic.twitter.com/Am3N3iZPlj [3]
— Irving Police Dept. (@IrvingPD) June 27, 2024 [4]
Following his booking, Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a hold on Argueta. The details of his entry into the country have not been disclosed.
The local owner-operator of the Chick-fil-A expressed sadness over the loss of the two employees and stated that their focus is on providing support to the victims’ families. They also thanked the Irving Police Department for their response to the incident.
After the shooting, individuals left tributes at the scene, creating a makeshift memorial to honor the deceased employees.