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18-year-old Hardin County man arrested Thursday near Lumberton in connection with deadly Houston shooting

Houston Police believe the victim was trying to stop the suspects from leaving the scene of an armed robbery when he was shot.

HARDIN COUNTY, Texas — An 18-year-old Hardin County man is one of five suspects in a deadly Houston shooting that police believe stemmed from an armed robbery.

U.S. Marshals arrested Isaiah Medrano on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at a home in the 7500 block of Neely Road near Lumberton in Hardin County. Medrano is charged with "capital murder by terror threat/other felony," according to Hardin County Jail records.

Medrano was arrested without incident. He is being held in the Hardin County Jail on a $2 million bond as he awaits extradition to Harris County..

Houston Police told 12News Medrano is one of five men arrested in connection with a deadly shooting that happened in Houston.

Credit: Hardin County Sheriff's Office

It happened March 28, 2023. Houston Police responded to a shooting in a strip center parking lot in the 7500 block of Long Point Road.

When police got to the scene, they found Joel Villarreal, 43, of Houston, lying on the ground, unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound.

Houston Fire Department paramedics took Villarreal to a Texas hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to a Houston Police Department release. Police believe Villarreal may have been trying to stop the suspects from leaving the scene of an armed robbery when he was shot.

A subsequent investigation identified 19-year-old Andres Lara and 20-year-old Daniel Medrano as suspects in the deadly shooting, according to the release. Both were arrested on April 6, 2023.

Further investigation led to the identification of two more suspects, 19-year-old Arnez Markel Semien and 17-year-old Jonathan Lopez. They were arrested on April 27, 2023.

All five suspects are charged with capital murder in connection with Villarreal's death.

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