Alleged cop-killer Raul Garcia-Gomez strolled out of a small grocery store in Culiacán, Mexico, on Saturday evening and found himself surrounded by Mexican and U.S. authorities after a 27-day manhunt through two countries.
“Suffice it to say, he was very surprised,” Denver police Division Chief Dave Fisher said Sunday from Mexico City, where Garcia-Gomez is in custody.
Wanted in last month’s fatal shooting of Denver police Detective Donald “Donnie” Young and the wounding of Detective John “Jack” Bishop, Garcia-Gomez led authorities on an all-out search that stretched from Colorado to California and into Mexico.
Investigators believe Garcia-Gomez has been in Mexico since about May 11, three days after the shooting. At the time of his arrest, he was staying in Culiacán with an extended-family member, Fisher said. He moved around as police closed in.
“He moved multiple times,” Fisher said. “He was feeling the pressure.”
Authorities are dismayed at the assistance they believe the 20-year-old Garcia-Gomez received. Already, four people have been arrested and may face charges of aiding the fugitive. Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said there could be more arrests in Denver, Los Angeles and possibly Mexico.
Garcia-Gomez was arrested about 6 p.m. MDT Saturday by the Agencia Federal de Investigación, Mexico’s equivalent of the FBI, and U.S. marshals. Fisher praised the work of the AFI, who he said proved instrumental in tracking the fugitive.
“They delivered in a big way for us,” he said. “It couldn’t have been done without them.”
Investigators drew up a “huge family tree” and went door-to-door among Garcia-Gomez’s relatives seeking information, said Denver police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez.
“He knew everybody was hot on his trail. He was making every attempt to elude apprehension,” Lopez said.
Ultimately, authorities were led to Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state on Mexico’s Pacific coast and home to about 800,000 people.
Now investigators are piecing together his 2,000-mile trail, tracking the suspect’s steps. They want to know who provided help or if he confided in anyone.
Lopez said family members and others provided Garcia-Gomez with “financial assistance, food and lodging.”
Jaime Arana-Del Angel, 27, was arrested in Denver last week and faces charges of being an accessory to first-degree murder.
Arrested on immigration violations by federal authorities in Los Angeles were Gomez’s father, Mercedes Castaneda Gomez; sister, Ayde Gomez; and Santiago Nicholas Hernandez, believed to be living with Garcia-Gomez’s aunt.
Fisher said their obstruction delayed the arrest.
“Absolutely it did. We’ve been so close for so long for so many days,” Fisher said. “We will bring the full force of the American and Mexican judicial systems to bear on anyone who obstructed the investigation.”
From the moment shots were fired at Salon Ocampo social hall shortly after 1 a.m. May 8 – Mother’s Day – Raul Garcia-Gomez was the most-wanted man in Denver.
Police said Garcia-Gomez, an illegal immigrant, attended a baptismal party at the hall, 1733 W. Mississippi Ave., and allege he shot the two officers, who were working off-duty security.
Young, 43, was shot in the head. Bishop, 35, was shot in the back. Police say a bulletproof vest saved his life.
Garcia-Gomez then went home before clocking into work that day at the Cherry Cricket, a popular Cherry Creek eatery where he worked as a dishwasher.
Police said Garcia-Gomez then fled to Los Angeles, meeting up with family members.
He may have taken a bus to Mexico.
In Denver, family members of Sandra Rivas – Garcia-Gomez’s girlfriend and the mother of his infant daughter – said they have been plagued at their home by police and the media since the shooting.
Now that he has been arrested, the family hopes the attention will die down so they can get on with their lives.
Leopoldo Rivas, Sandra’s father, said Sunday that he hopes Garcia-Gomez gets a fair trial, and he said his family is relieved he was not killed during the arrest.
“We would rather see him alive than dead,” Leopoldo Rivas said of the man who dated his daughter for 15 months. “He was such a calm guy, and we never had problems with him. I have a hard time believing it. We don’t know what to believe.”
Rivas is still upset by reports that his daughter said Garcia- Gomez confessed to her.
“We never said any of that. Not my daughter or I said he confessed. That didn’t happen,” he said. “Newspaper people now pass by and point the finger at me and my family. It gave me such pain.”
Now Rivas’ main concern is his family members, who have spent the past couple of days at the home of other relatives to avoid the media.
“I have to put things in order because we can’t continue to have problems,” he said.
Rivas said he is frustrated that his phone seems to cut off when he is talking to Mexican officials or other concerned friends about the situation. He has no explanation for the sudden phone technical difficulties.
The Rivas family moved to Denver less than a year ago from Los Angeles to be closer to family who already lived here. For now the family is staying put, he said.
“I don’t want to move because I don’t want people to think we are afraid. We didn’t do anything wrong,” Rivas said. “We want to recover from this and then figure out what to do.”
Denver police pledged to the Young and Bishop families that they would find Garcia-Gomez. Fisher said investigators worked nonstop to make that happen.
“The Denver Police Department is here fulfilling a promise,” Fisher said.
Now police are working through the Mexican criminal justice system.
It’s unclear when Denver police will get a chance to question Garcia-Gomez, but it should be soon, Fisher said.
“We look forward to seeing him.”
Staff writer Sean Kelly can be reached at 303-820-1858 or skelly@denverpost.com.
Staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-820-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.
In custody
IN MEXICO
Raul Garcia- Gomez, suspect in death of Denver Detective Donald “Donnie” Young and shooting of Detective John “Jack” Bishop
IN DENVER
Jaime Arana-Del Angel, 27, facing charges of being an accessory to first-degree murder
IN LOS ANGELES
Mercedes Castaneda Gomez,
Garcia-Gomez’s father
Ayde Gomez, his sister
Santiago Nicholas Hernandez, friend of Garcia-Gomez’s aunt
All are being held on immigration violations. They could face charges of harboring a fugitive.
