Three charged in fatal shooting after nightclub fight

HOUSTON

Alex Molina, 20, Christopher Inez Garcia, 21, and David Salinas III, 21, have been charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of Leroy Hernandez and Roland Vargas.

On July 24, Vargas' girlfriend told police that she, Vargas and Hernandez were kicked out of Le Cave nightclub due a disturbance the two men were having with a group of Hispanic males, court documents state. She said they left the club, got into Vargas' Impala and turned onto Veterans Memorial. She said a pickup truck, driven by Salinas, followed them, when a Nissan, driven by Garcia, tried to cut them off. The pickup truck then pulled up alongside the Impala, and a male was hanging out of the passenger side window firing a large weapon at the Impala, she told police.

Hernandez and Vargas were both struck by bullets and killed. The girlfriend suffered minor injuries and survived. Police say they observed at least ten bullet holes in the Impala and discovered that shell casings found at the scene were consistent with being fired from an AK-47.

According to court documents, after Garcia was arrested, he told police that after the nightclub dispute, he called Molina who called Salinas to bring the weapon. They then followed the Impala in the pickup truck and the Nissan when the shooting occurred, Garcia said.

The girlfriend told police she knew one of the suspects involved and identified him as Garcia. Both the girlfriend and a witness picked Molina out of a photo lineup as the shooter, according to court documents.

Molina and Garcia are in custody and due in court on August 8.

Salinas has not been arrested and is on probation for a drug charge.