A third suspect has been arrested in Texas for the January shooting of a Reading man in what was the city’s first homicide of the year.
Guadalupe County deputies arrested Jason Nival, 26, Thursday, on charges of first and third-degree homicide related to the Jan. 18 shooting of Eric Ferrer, 47, who was fatally wounded from bullets fired from three guns near his residence in the 300 block of Washington Street.
Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said Nival was arrested during a routine traffic stop.
Guadalupe County deputies took Nival into custody after a vehicle associated with him was seen driving west on Interstate 10, according to The Seguin Gazette.
Nival is being held as a fugitive from justice in Guadalupe County jail, and is awaiting extradition to Reading, Adams said.
Another two suspects, Julio Nival, 19, of Reading, and Angelo Delgado, 18, of Bronx, N.Y., were arrested in late July and charged with first- and third-degree murders, conspiracy and charges related to the January shooting.
According to the criminal complaints:
Just before 7:30 p.m., Ferrer was returning to his Washington Towers apartment at Fourth and Washington streets when the car he was driving was ambushed in the 300 block of Washington.
A person who was in the car with Ferrer said three males, two of whom were wearing masks, walked in front of Ferrer’s car. Ferrer stopped to allow the trio to walk past.
Just before turning into the parking garage of the apartment building, Ferrer and his passenger looked back toward the three males as they started shooting at the car.
Video footage from a nearby security camera shows the car suddenly turning into the garage and the three suspects scattering.
Footage from the apartment building showed the three suspects leaving a residence on the opposite side of the street just before the shooting.
Police responded and found the bullet-riddled car in the garage, with Ferrer mortally wounded in the back seat. He was taken to Reading Hospital where he later died.
Officers recovered a total of 10 shell casings from three firearms. Five bullets struck the victim’s car.
Two of the suspects fled on foot and were recorded on nearby security cameras. They were later identified as Julio Nival and Delgado.
On Feb. 17, patrol officers encountered Julio Nival and Delgado during a traffic stop, and recorded their cell phone numbers.
Investigators used a search warrant to trace the suspects’ phone calls and travels just before and after the shooting. According to cell tower pings, the two cellphones were in use near the scene around the time the shooting occurred and they exchanged calls soon after.
Investigators said Julio Nival and Delgado are half-brothers.
Source: Berkshire mont