http://www.themonitor.com/articles/police_9448___article.html/mission_valera.htmlVictim of fatal shooting identified
Zack Quaintance
February 27, 2008 - 11:14PM
MISSION — Police identified the victim Wednesday of a fatal shooting that occurred this week in a model home.
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Mission police ask anyone with information about this case to call Mission Crime Stoppers at (956) 581-8477.
Ruben Valera, 35 of Mission, died Tuesday evening after being shot eight times in the back, police said. The shooting happened shortly before 6:45 p.m. inside the model home and office for the Casso Construction-owned Redstone Estates subdivision near the intersection of Taylor Road and East Fourth Street.
Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said Wednesday the investigation continues, but police know little about the suspect and motive at this point.
“To be honest, we’re at a stalemate,” Longoria said. “We’ve pretty much reached a brick wall here.”
Three other people — including family members of Valera — were inside the home when the shooting happened, police have said. They stayed in the garage area while the shooting happened in the kitchen and dining area, said Lt. Martin Garza, a spokesman for Mission police.
Valera had let the shooter into the house, suggesting he likely knew his assailant, Garza said. News reports in Reynosa, where Valera was from originally, described him as an accomplished businessman with several interests in the Rio Grande Valley.
Witnesses told investigators the shooter wore a baseball cap and had sideburns and fled south in a gray vehicle after the incident.
A man who answered the phone Wednesday at Casso Construction refused to comment, citing a fear of compromising the police investigation. Police have said Valera had some sort of work relationship with the company.
Nothing was taken from the model home, and police have said robbery was not the motive.
