Jearhamel Fanaro, 34, a male from El Paso, was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds after officers were dispatched at 2:39 a.m. on September 9, 2025, to a residence in the 1700 block of Dale Douglas Drive. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 26-year-old woman was also discovered with gunshot injuries and taken to a hospital for treatment. Detectives from the Crimes Against Persons Unit took over the case in the hours that followed.
Investigators identified two suspects within days. On September 12, warrants were obtained and Manuel Gonzalez, 43, and Salvador Gomez, 44, were arrested and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Initial bond information in the police release listed no bond for either man as the case entered the courts.
According to details in police documents described by local reporting, Gomez told investigators he was the ex-boyfriend of Jearhamel Fanaro’s girlfriend and that he and Gonzalez drove to the home around 2:30 a.m. seeking a fight. Gomez said he armed himself with a machete and confronted the pair in the backyard, and that Gonzalez then opened fire, striking both victims. Investigators recovered a lost machete and shoes across the street, and surveillance audio from a neighboring home captured gunfire and a man running while holding a machete. A separate investigation by state agents led them to Gomez, who allegedly disclosed his role before El Paso detectives were notified. Jail records later reflected bonds set at $600,000 for Gonzalez and $1,000,000 for Gomez, with both men remaining in custody as proceedings continued.
The quiet residential block became the backdrop for a swift, methodical inquiry that moved from a predawn emergency call to arrests and charging decisions within three days. What began as a confrontation escalated into lethal gunfire, leaving a neighborhood shaken and detectives piecing together timelines, statements, and physical evidence as the case advanced through the criminal justice system.
