Feds arrest Houston shootings suspect decade later in NC

CHARLOTTE, NC Fidel Mora Yanez, 37, was arrested Tuesday morning at a gas station in Asheboro, about 70 miles northeast of Charlotte, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Agents had Yanez under surveillance since June 22, when they got a tip that he was living in the Asheboro area under an assumed name and worked in construction, ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said. When he was arrested, Yanez told authorities he had relatives in the area and had been living in North Carolina since 2001, Gonzalez said.

Police say Yanez shot and killed 20-year-old Nicolas Deangel Clemente after the men argued at a Houston bar on Aug. 4, 2000. According to authorities, Yanez went to Clemente's apartment later that night, shooting him in the head and chest.

Two other men inside the apartment were wounded but survived, police say.

Yanez faces one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the Houston shootings, police there say. In addition, federal authorities say he will face administrative charges for being in the country illegally.

Yanez was in the Mecklenburg County jail in Charlotte on Thursday awaiting extradition to Houston. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney or when he would be extradited.

Despite the decade between the shootings and Yanez's arrest, Gonzalez says these kinds of cases show a tough stance on crime.

"It sends a very strong message to criminals that, whether it be 10 days ... or 10 years, we're going to catch up with you," Gonzalez said. "We're committed to ensuring that our communities are safe."