ABILENE, Texas — UPDATE (noon Oct. 15): An arrest has been made in the Aug. 31 homicide of Carlos Veliz Jr.
A press release from the Abilene Police Department said the suspect has been identified as Gabriel Balagtas Hall, 28, of Sachse.
The release said early Friday, Oct. 15, Major Investigations Bureau detectives, with assistance of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, arrested Hall in Sachse. Hall was transported to the Taylor County Jail, where he is being charged with first-degree felony murder and held on a $400,000 bond.
Hall was previously arrested Tuesday, Aug. 31, for charges of third-degree felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; second-degree felony possession of a controlled substance, to wit: morphine sulfate; second-degree felony possession of a controlled substance, to wit: amphetamine; and third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance, to wit: alprazolam.
On Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, Hall was released on $105,000 bond for these charges but, remained a person of interest in the shooting death of Veliz.
The release said no further investigative updates are expected.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Abilene Police Department's Major Investigations detectives are investigating a murder of a 33-year-old Abilene man, whose body was found in the parking lot of a convenience store on the southeast side of town.
According to the APD, at approximately 3:37 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, officers responded to an injured subject call in the 900 block of ES 11th Street. A concerned citizen reported a dead man lying in the parking lot of a convenience store.
Responding officers arrived and found a Hispanic man with apparent trauma, dead at the location.
Next of kin notification has been made. The victim has been positively identified as Carlos Veliz Jr. of Abilene.
Major Investigations Bureau detectives are actively investigating this as a homicide.
Anyone has information regarding this homicide, contact the Abilene Police Department’s non-emergency phone number at 325-673-8331 or Abilene Crime Stoppers at 325-676-8477 (676-TIPS)
