Francisco Navarrete, age 43, was one of two men killed during a brutal early-morning shooting outside a Cleveland, Texas sports bar on September 7, 2025. He was flown from the scene to a Houston area hospital, but succumbed to his wounds the next day, on September 8. Navarrete had been shot during a sudden eruption of violence outside the Alas Locas Sports Bar, where patrons had gathered on the patio shortly after closing.
That night, the suspect arrived around midnight, quietly ordered
drinks, and sat alone for more than an hour. He left briefly before closing time, then returned and opened fire on those outside, spraying bullets toward patrons and even aiming shots at the building's front doors. The chaos left six people shot in total. Among them, 30-year-old Alexis Jasso died at the scene; the remaining victims — ages ranging from 34 to 42 — suffered wounds to their hands, shoulder, or leg, but survived after treatment. In the case of Francisco Navarrete, the initial reports sometimes refer to him as Fernando Navarrete.
Investigators quickly identified the suspected shooter as 32-year-old Jose Osman Aguilar Cantillano. A murder warrant was issued for him. Authorities searched his residence the day after the shooting, but did not find him. Later that evening, law enforcement arrested his wife, 23-year-old Alejandra Marie Valdez Montoya, charging her with tampering with evidence. Cantillano remains at large; local authorities believe he is using a white full-size construction-style van and may be headed toward either New Orleans, Louisiana or Atlanta, Georgia.
Cantillano's alleged pattern of behavior prior to that night drew attention. His criminal record in Texas reportedly dates back to 2016 and includes prior arrests for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and multiple counts of driving while intoxicated. At present, Cantillano is considered armed and dangerous; law enforcement has placed him on several wanted lists in the wake of the double homicide.
In the brutal flash of gunfire that September night, Francisco Navarrete's life was extinguished — he was 43, a man whose presence among the crowd was meant only for social respite, not to become a casualty. The bar where he stood became the stage for a wounded community's grieving. Investigators continue to search for the suspect, and authorities encourage anyone with information to come forward to help bring justice for Navarrete, for Jasso, and for all who survived.
