EL PASO, Texas — Two men have been charged with murder after police say they killed a man in East El Paso as revenge for a previous fight.
According to police documents, 44-year-old Salvador Gomez told investigators that his friend, 43-year-old Manuel Gonzalez, shot and killed 34-year-old Jearhamel Fanaro on September 9 at around 2:30 a.m. Gomez said Fanaro was his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.
Gomez reportedly waived his Miranda rights and told detectives that he and Gonzalez drove to Fanaro’s home on the 1700 block of Dale Douglas Drive intending to fight him. When they arrived, Gomez armed himself with a machete and confronted Fanaro and his ex-girlfriend in the backyard.
Gomez said Gonzalez then opened fire, shooting both Fanaro and the woman. Fanaro was later found dead inside the home with a gunshot wound to the chest, while the woman suffered gunshot injuries to her arm and leg.
Gomez told investigators he ran from the scene, crashing into a wall and losing both his machete and shoes — items later recovered by police. He also claimed Gonzalez hid the gun in the vehicle’s center console after saying, “Got them, I beat them to the punch.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety alerted El Paso police to Gomez’s involvement after he reportedly confessed while being investigated for another incident. Surveillance video from a nearby home captured gunfire and a man running while holding a machete.
Both Gomez and Gonzalez were arrested on September 12 and charged with murder and aggravated assault. Jail records show Gonzalez’s bond was set at $600,000, while Gomez’s was set at $1,000,000. Both men remain behind bars.
