In the early hours of April 29, 2022, the sound of gunfire shattered the quiet of an apartment complex on West LaGrange Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana. When police arrived around 12:45 a.m., they discovered a grim scene inside one of the units. Two men, both from Houston, were found deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. One of the victims was identified as 36-year-old Pedro Oswaldo Duarte Rangel. The other man was Able Garcia Jr., who was 32. Both men had been living in Lake Charles temporarily for about six months before the shooting.
An intensive investigation began, with detectives pouring over hours of video surveillance and compiling witness statements. Through their meticulous work, a timeline of the tragic events started to form. It became clear that this was not a random act of violence. Investigators learned that the victims were acquainted with their assailants from their time in Houston. The motive, as determined by law enforcement, was a dispute over drugs. The evidence suggested a planned and targeted attack, with the perpetrators traveling from Houston with the specific intention of committing the murders.
The investigation led police to identify three suspects: Miguel Angel Perez Cervantes, 33, Pedro Ramiro Reyes Valdez, 24, and Juan Antonio Vasquez Flores, 53. It is believed they traveled from the Houston area to Lake Charles in a gray Nissan Altima in the hours leading up to the incident and fled back to Houston immediately after. In a coordinated effort involving Lake Charles SWAT, Houston Police, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals, and ICE, the three suspects were apprehended in Texas. Valdez was arrested at a job site in League City, while Flores was taken into custody at a Houston residence, and Cervantes was apprehended at a sports bar in Houston.
