PHOENIX, Arizona — A previously deported Mexican national stands charged for an execution-style murder which reportedly occurred on June 7.
A violent criminal alien who was previously convicted of aggravated assault and later deported after serving six years in prison is now charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder and one count of misconduct involving a weapon as a prohibited possessor. Victor A. Garcia, 26, was booked into the Maricopa County jail on a $1 million cash-only bond and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer, according to local reports.
Garcia is accused of chasing down and fatally shooting a victim identified as Jesus Velazquez 34, at 6710 W. Indian School Road in west Phoenix at approximately 3:16 pm Friday. Garcia, who was reportedly armed with a handgun, allegedly fired several shots at a fleeing Velazquez, causing him to fall to the ground, according to court documents. Garcia then walked up to Velazquez and shot him at least three times in the face–execution style, according to multiple witnesses.
Garcia reportedly fled the area after getting into a nearby pickup truck. Police located the truck approximately 20 minutes later and determined the driver was a relative of Garcia’s. The driver told police that Garcia called him for a ride and personally observed the shooting. Garcia then got into the truck and asked to be dropped off in a nearby neighborhood. He told the driver not to talk to anyone about what he had reportedly witnessed. The relative later identified Garcia to police after being shown a previous booking mugshot. Police arrested Garcia at his home on Saturday morning in the west Phoenix suburb of Tolleson
Velazquez was previously convicted for aggravated assault in 2011 for an incident that occurred in November 2010. Records indicate he pled guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault in exchange for a dismissal of an armed robbery count. Arizona Department of Corrections records note that Velazquez was sent to Arizona State Prison in March 2011 and was released in June 2017.
Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed that Garcia had been previously deported but did not provide a date. Arizona Department of Corrections records also indicate that during Garcia’s incarceration, he was cited for numerous disciplinary infractions to include assault on staff and possession of drugs/narcotics.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com
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