HSCO: Man fatally shot after crash; suspect and victim identified

Accident or crime scene cordon tape, police line do not cross. It is nighttime, emergency lights of police cars flashing blue, red and white in the background

by: Jesse Mendez, Gabriela Gonzalez

Posted: Oct 21, 2022 / 06:31 AM CDT

Updated: Oct 21, 2022 / 05:21 PM CDT

ALTON, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Authorities arrested a man on Friday after witnesses reported seeing a driver shoot a passenger and then drive away, according to Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra.

The Alton Police Department identified Yair De Jesus Perez Hernandez, 30, as the driver who they suspect fatally shot Sergio Cepeda, 42.

Just before 1 a.m., deputies responded to an area south of 4 Mile Line on Conway Avenue in rural Alton, where witnesses “heard a loud crash” and two men arguing, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Witnesses told deputies they saw a driver shoot Cepeda and drive away, the sheriff’s department stated.

Guerra told ValleyCentral the driver fled northbound and was stopped and detained by officers from the Alton Police Department.

Cepeda was taken to an area hospital where he died, the sheriff said.

Hernandez has been charged with 1st degree murder, unlawful carrying weapons, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. His arraignment is at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

This investigation is ongoing.

“We encourage witnesses with any additional information regarding this case to come forward,” the sheriff’s department stated in a news release. “We urge you to please contact the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office at 956-383-8114. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may call the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers Hotline at 956-668-TIPS (8477).”