Politics
Vigilante family including teen, 19, ‘shoots neighbor dead after mistaking him for vandal who targeted their property’
FOUR Texas family members are accused of going on a warpath by chasing and gunning down a complete stranger whom they thought was vandalizing their valuables.
Joe Argueta, 19, his parents, 39-year-old mother, Florinda Argueta, 45-year-old father, Luis Argueta, and his 29-year-old uncle, Margarito Alcantar – have all been charged with murdering Eddie Clark.
Eddie Clark, 29, was fatally killed in what authorities described as an ambush on Monday night by vigilante family members in Houston, Texas[/caption]
Crashed Dodge Charger driven by Eddie Clark, 29, on Monday night after he was allegedly ambushed by four members of the Argueta family in what Texas authorities are saying is a case of mistaken identity[/caption]
Joe Argueta, 19, allegedly told investigators he carried a pistol and fired the shots at the Clark’s Dodge Charger that he and his family thought had been a vandal[/caption]
The 29-year-old victim was killed on Monday night while driving in Dodge Charger and heading home in the same Houston subdivision as the Arguetas, authorities said.
But while the teen and his mom have been placed into custody the uncle and father were gone by the time authorities arrived and remain outstanding, Harris County Sheriff’s deputies confirmed in a summary of the incident.
“This is an example of taking the law into your own hands,” a hearing officer told the accused shooter, teenager Joe Argueta during a court appearance on Wednesday, according to the television station KATY.
The officer continued to rail the teen for his and his kin’s vigilantism.
“Not going through the proper authorities to resolve any other harm or destruction that was being done to your own residence or your own home. It still doesn’t justify taking the law into your own hands and mistaking the person.”
An image of Eddie Clark’s Dodge Charger as someone stands by in the foreground[/caption]
Still photo taken from the tragic Monday night shows what appears to be three people chasing down Eddie Clark’s Dodge Charger[/caption]
Investigators point to the teenager pulling the trigger that felled their neighbor Clark while he was driving that night as a reprisal for damaging their home and cars.
The teen’s mother, Florinda Argueta allegedly told investigators following the shooting that family was their toes, on the lookout for a friend of one of the family’s son’s ex-girlfriends.
They have been committing stealthy harm to their home and property and that they were going to “take care of the problem,” the television station reported citing court reports.
“This is an example of taking the law into your own hands,” a hearing officer told the accused shooter, teenager Joe Argueta during a court appearance on Wednesday[/caption]
The alleged deviant was suspected of driving a black Dodge Charger, authorities confirmed in a summary of the incident based on criminal complaints the family had filed.
At around 11:30pm on Monday, Joe and his family spotted a Dodge Charger driving nearby their home.
His 39-year-old mother, Florinda Argueta, has also been charged with murder[/caption]
“Joe Argueta spotted what he believed to be the suspect vehicle driving in the neighborhood,” the sheriff’s stated in their report.
Only the driver was Clark and the Charger was not black but “dark gray,” authorities said.
So far, investigators say Clark was “not known by the Arguetas” and not “in the ongoing dispute with them[/caption]
One family member grabbed a baseball bat and brought along a pistol as they all approached the car along Hilton Hollow Dr. and tried to block its path.
When Clark tried to speed away from the danger, the sheriff’s say Joe “fired multiple gunshots at the passenger side of the Challenger” before it smashed into a tree.
After the crash, a shot-riddled Clark attempted to hobble away on foot.
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He was later transported to a local hospital were he was pronounced dead, the AP reported.
When questioned at the scene by investigators, Joe allegedly admitted he “was the person armed with the pistol” and that he “fired the gunshots” at Clark’s Challenger.
Clark was a stranger to the Arguetas and so far investigators have yet to “receive any information that Eddie Clark was involved in the ongoing dispute.”
In a tweet, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez initially described the shooting as the four family members “ambushing and shooting Clark.”
Gonzalez also noted the shooting death of Clark “Seems like a tragic case of mistaken identity[sic].”
