Police said David Negrete, 19, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shootout that left a child dead and four people hurt.
PEARLAND, Texas — The accused gunman in the Pearland flea market shooting surrendered Tuesday morning, police said. David Negrete, 19, turned himself in to the custody of the Brazoria County Jail around 10 a.m.
Negrete is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond was set at $500,000 by a Brazoria County judge.
The mass shooting at Cole's Flea Market on Sunday, Nov. 12, left a 10-year-old boy dead and four people injured.
Police say there were at least two shooters, possibly three, involved in an altercation that led to a shootout.
Negrete was identified after police interviewed witnesses and victims and looked at surveillance videos.
On Monday, police said at least three of the victims, including the child who died, wereinnocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of a shootout at Cole's Flea Market.
Family members identified the little boy killed as Francisco Vicente Duarte, whose nickname was "Chente." He was at the flea market helping his mom who works there.
PPD spokesman Chad Rogers said the injured innocent bystanders included a 14-year-old girl who remains hospitalized and a 37-year-old man who is out of the hospital.
Cruz Meza, 18, who was also shot, and Julianna Espino, 18, are charged with tampering with evidence and making false statements. Meza has been released from the hospital and is in the Brazoria County Jail.
A 16-year-old was also wounded in the shootout and he's still in the hospital. Police are still working to determine if he will face charges.
"The 16-year-old and an 18-year-old male are continuing to be looked into into their involvement into the shooting that happened at Cole's Flea Market," Rogers said on Monday. "Again, they're being actively investigated into their role, if any, in what happened."
On Tuesday, police divers searched a creek not far from the flea market. We don't know yet if they found anything.
Pearland, Texas – On November 14, 2023, at approximately 10:00 A.M. David Negrete turned himself into custody of the...
Posted by Pearland Police Department onTuesday, November 14, 2023
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MONDAY NEWS CONFERENCE:PPD names suspect in deadly flea market shooting
What happened
Police were sent to Cole's Antique Village and Flea Market at 1014 North Main after a report of shots fired around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 12.
All of the victims were rushed to hospitals in Houston and Clear Lake but the 10-year-old boy didn't survive.
Homicide detectives believe at least two to three people were involved in an altercation that led to the shootout. Two to three handguns were fired.
Rogers said it's a tragedy for the victims and their families, as well as others who were at the flea market, including people who make a living there.
"Tragic and senseless. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in Pearland and it's a very sad day," Rogers said.
$15,000 reward
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that the state will add $10,000 to the $5,000 reward offered by Brazoria County Crime Stoppers for a total of $15,000 for information leading to the shooters.
"A 10-year-old child was killed in a senseless matter, so any support we can get, whether it's financially or the public, is very welcome in this case," Rogers said. "Again, we deserve justice for this young person."
"Texas mourns the loss of a precious child following the devastating tragedy in Pearland yesterday, and our hearts are with the four other victims in the hospital as they recover from their injuries," Abbott said in a release.
To be eligible for the reward, the state said to do one of the following:
- Call the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)
- Submit a web tip through the Texas 10 Most Wanted website or Facebook page
- Submit a tip through the DPS Mobile App
Pearland police also ask anyone who knows anything about the case to call their tip line at 281-997-4211.
