In the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 19, 2026, the city of Abilene was marked by its first homicide of the year. Jesus Hernandez, a 44-year-old Hispanic man, was found unresponsive on the pavement outside the Courtyard Park apartment complex in the 3300 block of Sherry Lane in North Abilene. Police had been dispatched to the location at approximately 5:15 a.m.
following a call about an injured person.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered Hernandez with injuries that were consistent with a homicide. He was immediately transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. The Abilene Police Department withheld his identity pending notification of his family.
The investigation into Hernandez's death began promptly, with detectives from the Major Investigations Bureau leading the case. Investigators have been actively searching for a suspect or suspects in connection with the killing. While no arrests for the murder have been announced, authorities have asked for the public's assistance, urging anyone with information to contact detectives or Abilene Crime Stoppers.
In a development related to the ongoing investigation, several juveniles were detained on Saturday, February 23, 2026. The detentions occurred after the Abilene Police Department's SWAT team executed a search warrant at the Abilene North Apartments, the same complex where Hernandez was found. While multiple teenagers were detained during the operation, it remains unclear how many were taken into custody or if any will face charges in connection with the homicide.
Just hours before Hernandez was discovered, at approximately 11 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, police responded to a separate incident in North Abilene at the Sandpiper Apartments in the 2100 block of Beechwood Lane. At that scene, they found a Hispanic man who had suffered trauma from a blunt force object, though his injuries were not considered life-threatening. A second individual, a 20-year-old Black man, was later located at a hospital with a gunshot wound and was in critical condition. As of now, no arrests have been reported in any of these incidents.
