Two families are looking for answers after their teenage sons were killed in a shooting Sunday. Garland investigators are zeroing in on a video they say could help lead them to the suspect.
According to the Garland Police Department, officers received a call around 3:15 p.m. about a shooting in the 2300 block of West Buckingham Road. When police responded they found two victims with gunshot wounds. 17-year-old Ruben Santibanez-Arzola and 18-year-old Alen Jesus Chavez both died from their injuries.
“Being so young, seventeen and eighteen years old, they’re teenagers. I mean they’re adults but they’re teenagers, they have parents, they may have siblings. It’s a tragedy no matter how you spell it out,” said Lieutenant Pedro Barineau.
A memorial is growing in a shopping strip on West Buckingham Road in Garland- roses and candles for two young lives taken violently. Detectives say both Arzola and Chavez were from Wylie and aren’t sure what brought them to Garland.
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“We believe that the two victims and the suspect all met at this location together. So, they’re known to one another, we don’t know the specifics just yet,” Barineau said.
NBC 5 reached out to Wylie ISD which confirmed that one of the teens was a current student. The district released a statement that reads in part”
“Over the weekend, we lost one of our Achieve students in a tragic shooting incident in Garland. This afternoon, the Garland Police Department officially released the names of the two victims, which included Achieve student Ruben Santibanez-Arzola. The other victim, Alan Chavez, previously attended school in Wylie ISD. We extend our sincerest condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones…”
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Friends close to both Arzola and Chavez told NBC 5 the two were best friends and their families were close as well. Police said they need the public’s help to find the person responsible for their deaths.
“There’s somebody in the public who knows more about the investigation and so we plead to them we encourage them to do the right thing,” said Barineau.
The police department said it is working to discover more information about what led to the fatal shooting. Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for any information that leads to an arrest in this case. They can be reached at 972-272-TIPS (8477).
