Father kills 1 of 3 home invasion suspects, sheriff says
One suspect is dead, one is in custody and a third remains at large after an aggravated robbery in La Feria, Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio said.
The victim of the crime, Louis Earl Dixon, shot Francisco Antonio Moreno Thursday evening after a struggle ensued when Moreno and two other men attempted to force Dixon to let them into his home, Lucio said Friday. Dixon lives in the 27000 block of Rabb Road,
Moreno, 31, was from San Benito.
The sheriff said it appeared that Dixon was defending himself.
"I think he acted the way, probably, many would have acted because there’s no other way out," Lucio said. "I’m sure he’s thankful he’s still alive and was able to defend himself and his son."
Dixon told authorities he and his 20-year-old son were returning to their home and had almost arrived when their car was stopped by three masked men in an SUV. The men appeared to be armed with a gun, knives and baseball bat, Dixon told police.
The men, Lucio said, demanded to enter Dixon’s house, one of them forcing Dixon to kneel while holding him at gunpoint.
"Mr. Dixon was able to wrestle with the individual, take his weapon away from him and he used the weapon on these individuals," Lucio said.
Authorities said Dixon fired five times as the three men fled the scene. Dixon and his son apprehended one of the men, 21-year-old Roman Cardoza, until La Feria police arrived, but two of the suspects — one later identified as Moreno — escaped in the SUV.
Cardoza faces two charges of aggravated robbery, a first degree felony. He was arraigned Friday, and his bail was set at $100,000.
Moreno’s body was found lying in the driveway of a home in Harlingen by a police officer.
The officer said he saw an SUV with Mexican license plates leaving the area, Lucio said. He decided to investigate and discovered the body.
The SUV used by the suspects was reported stolen from Brownsville on March 20, Lucio said.
Moreno was apparently dumped by the driver when he was discovered dead, Lucio said.
Moreno had a bullet wound in the right side of his torso, authorities reported.
Lucio said Friday morning he had no details about the gun.
Dixon was not injured, Lucio said, and as of now no charges have been filed against him for shooting Moreno.
Lucio said the findings of the investigation will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office, which will decide if any charges will be filed against Dixon.
The driver of the SUV remained at large Friday morning. Lucio said his identity is unknown.
