El Paso police arrest two people after brutal gang killing

Gang dispute sparks fatal shooting at Gonzalez Place Apartments
Omar Infante was shot on the ground and then beaten
Damian Alexander De La Riva and Noah Daniel Lomeli arrested on murder charges

A dispute over street gang affiliation sparked a brutal shooting in the parking lot of an apartment complex in far east El Paso that left a young man dead, police records say.

A homicide investigator’s affidavit described a merciless killing in which the victim was shot multiple times and then beaten while lying motionless on the ground before one of the shooters appeared and took a photo of the dead man with his cellphone.

The affidavit said the death of 24-year-old Omar Infante Jr. was captured by surveillance cameras and cellphone videos from witnesses.

El Paso police this week arrested Damian Alexander De La Riva and Noah Daniel Lomeli, both 19, on murder charges in connection with Infante’s death early Saturday, July 20, at the Gonzalez Place Apartments on Rich Beem Boulevard near Montana Avenue.

El Paso police are investigating the murder of Omar Infante, who was shot and killed Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Gonzalez Place Apartments, 4101 Rich Beem Blvd., on the far east side of the East Side.

De La Riva and Lomeli are being held in the El Paso County Jail downtown on $1 million bail each. They remain incarcerated as of Friday, July 26, according to jail records. Court records do not list an attorney for either man.

Gang dispute

The trouble began during a small gathering held at an apartment around 3:50 a.m. Saturday. Infante was present when Lomeli, who had been invited, arrived with De La Riva, the affidavit states.

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There was an argument between Infante and Lomeli “because of their different gang affiliations,” witnesses told investigators, according to the affidavit. All three men were then thrown out of the apartment.

Deadly shooting and assault at Gonzalez Place Apartments

Lomeli and Infante agreed to fight each other and walked down a flight of stairs to the parking lot while De La Riva remained on the landing overlooking the parking lot, the affidavit said.

The affidavit states that Infante and Lomeli were fighting when De La Riva ran down the stairs, pulled out a gun and pointed it at Infante, who then let go of Lomeli and began to back away with his hands raised.

Lomeli allegedly pulled out his own pistol and both men held Infante at gunpoint before he was shot and fell to the ground.

“The video also shows (De La Riva) and (Lomeli) punching (Infante) in the face while he lay motionless on the ground. (Infante) was punched, kicked and pistol-whipped multiple times,” the affidavit states.

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During the scuffle, one of the gunmen shot Infante again before the attackers apparently ripped something from his chest, possibly a necklace, according to the investigator’s description of the video. Lomeli appears to take a photo of Infante on the ground with his cellphone. The two then drove away in a red Nissan Altima.

Infante, who was shot in the head and torso, died on the ground in the parking lot, police said.

During an investigation by homicide detectives from the Crimes Against Persons Unit with assistance from the Gang Unit, De La Riva and Lomeli were identified through police databases, social media videos and witness statements.

On July 22, De La Riva was arrested and taken to the downtown jail. Lomeli was arrested a day later.

The investigation into the murder is ongoing. Anyone with information can call police at the non-emergency number 915-832-4400 or anonymously call Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477 (TIPS).

Gang dispute

Deadly shooting and assault at Gonzalez Place Apartments

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