At least two people – Raul Garcia- Gomez’s grandmother and a tipster in Denver – could be in line for a share of the $100,000 reward for the alleged cop-killer’s capture.
If awarded, the payout apparently would be Metro Denver CrimeStoppers’ largest ever, police Detective Steve Antuna said.
The CrimeStoppers board will meet next month to discuss the reward, which can be split, he said. Further investigation is needed before officials can determine how many people will be considered for the reward, Antuna said.
Separately, officials are investigating statements made by Garcia-Gomez to Mexican and U.S. authorities at the time of his arrest Saturday in Mexico.
Tony Burke, supervisory inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service’s regional fugitive task force in Los Angeles, said Garcia-Gomez talked with authorities shortly after his arrest.
“He was crying and everything else,” Burke said. “Statements were made and documented and passed on to Denver law enforcement for their case.”
Burke did not offer specific details on the statements.
Joe Chavarria, an inspector with the task force who was at the scene Saturday in Culiacán, Mexico, when Garcia- Gomez was arrested, said the fugitive was worried about his family – particularly his girlfriend and their infant daughter back in Denver.
Whether the reward was a motivating factor for the tipster or the grandmother is unclear.
The tipster phoned Denver police at 7:05 a.m. May 9, a day after the shooting. The Denver Post is not publishing the name because the tipster asked police to remain anonymous.
Garcia-Gomez’s grandmother, Florencia Castañeda Rodriguez, lured him Saturday to a corner grocery store in Culiacán where U.S. and Mexican authorities were waiting.
Since its inception in 1981, Metro Denver CrimeStoppers has seen more than 1,000 offenders arrested and paid out more than $280,000 to callers.
Although this may be the largest reward paid out by the Denver group, just as much money was offered in the unsolved 2001 murder of Thad Tigges.
The 24-hour CrimeStoppers hotline is 720-913-STOP (7867).
Staff writer Sean Kelly can be reached at 303-820-1858 or skelly@denverpost.com.
