Three illegal aliens have been arrested over gunning down a teenager, as he waited for the school bus.
Danny Centeno-Miranda, a high school student in wealthy Loudoun County, Virginia–the richest county in the United States–just outside of Washington, D.C., was shot twice in the back about 50 yards from the bus stop.
Centeno-Miranda had fled poverty in El Salvador, and come to America to live with relatives in 2013. He was apparently in the country legally.
His killers have been taken into custody, and charged. The triggerman, a 17-year-old whose name hasn’t been released because of his age, has been charged with second-degree murder and with using a firearm while committing a felony. Henry Dominguez Vasquez, 20, and Juan Aguirre Zelaya, 18, also were arrested and charged with being accessories to the shooting and also for possession of a firearm while in the country illegally.
All three are in America illegally.
It’s unclear exactly what the motive was for the crime, but Loudoun County police officers think there might be more to the story than just an accidental or impromptu killing.
“This was not a random incident,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said, at a news conference on Saturday. “The suspects and the victim were known to each other.”
“We’re looking into that there may be some gang affiliation, however we don’t know what the reason was just yet for the incident taking place,” he added.
Centeno-Miranda, however, was described as an all-around good kid, who wasn’t a troublemaker–not the kind of kid who would join a gang.
But he did apparently know his murderers, and may have lived in the same apartment complex and even attended the same high school, though investigators are still confirming details.
Regardless of the motive, the murder of Danny Centeno-Miranda is another one committed this summer by illegal immigrants. Nationwide, there have been a number–including the murder of Kate Steinle, who was shot dead on a crowded San Francisco tourist pier, in early July.
Centeno-Miranda’s murder also comes after an increased focus on illegal immigration, and the crimes committed by illegal aliens, due to the rising presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
