Dequavious LeCharles Brooks, 17, a Black male from Nacogdoches, Texas, was shot during a triple homicide on the morning of Friday, October 24, 2025, in the 1000 block of Hackberry Street. Police responding around 10:20–10:30 a.m. found two victims inside a black car and a third in the roadway; one was pronounced dead at the scene, and two later died at a hospital.
Authorities publicly identified Brooks and 18-year-old Edward Alejandro Rivera as two of the victims that day; the third was later identified as 16-year-old Emilio Perez. The Nacogdoches Police Department said early on that the incident appeared targeted and isolated, offering cautious reassurance to nearby residents while detectives gathered statements and reviewed evidence from the street and the vehicle.
Investigators quickly named a suspect: 17-year-old Hector Cuarenta of Nacogdoches. An arrest warrant was issued on October 24 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shootings, and police warned the public he should be considered armed and dangerous as they sought tips on his whereabouts. Over the weekend that followed, officers located and arrested Cuarenta; he was transported to the Nacogdoches Law Enforcement Center. News outlets reported that the charges and investigation were tied to the three deaths on Hackberry Street, with authorities continuing to piece together motive and the chain of events leading up to the gunfire.
Brooks’s death was noted by regional and memorial listings in the days after the shooting, reflecting a community grieving multiple young lives lost. As detectives pursued follow-up interviews and forensic work, officials maintained their assessment that the violence was not random. The case file now includes the suspect’s arrest and the identification of all three victims, with further prosecutorial decisions expected to be based on the final investigative findings from Nacogdoches police.
