Luis Rojas: Dominican Republic politician's rapper son slain in Houston shooting, hunt on for 3 suspects

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Luis Alfredo Pacheco Rojas, 34, son of Alfredo Pacheco, the president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic, fell victim to a tragic fatal shooting at a Houston gas station on Monday, April 1.

The Houston Police Department has launched a manhunt for three suspects in connection with the incident.

Insights into tragic shooting incident

According to reports, Rojas, known in the music industry as El Pikante, was leaving a gas station in the 2400 block of South Wayside Drive at about 7:25 pm with two other men when the assailants, driving a Dodge Charger and a Mercedes-Benz, approached their black SUV.

Two individuals exited the Dodge, while another person emerged from the Mercedes. In a devastating turn of events, all three discharged suspects their firearms at the SUV before fleeing the scene, leaving Rojas critically wounded, according to the police.

Despite efforts to save his life, Rojas succumbed to his injuries at Ben Taub General Hospital. Another victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

Manhunt underway for 3 suspects in Houston gas station shooting

Houston detectives have released surveillance images of the three suspects, two of whom were seen brandishing firearms during the attack. “We have spoken with Mr. Pacheco about his son’s death and advised him detectives continue efforts to determine possible motives for the shooting,” a Houston Police Department statement stated, per New York Post. 

However, Pacheco informed that he suspected his son happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, suggesting that he might not have been the intended victim of the shooting. He also mentioned that his son resided in Atlanta, rather than Houston.

“With great regret, I announce the unexpected death of my son LUIS ALFREDO PACHECO ROJAS, who lived outside the country,” his grieving father, Pacheco, said in a statement posted on X. “This fact is currently under investigation. I sincerely thank friends and colleagues for their solidarity in this difficult time.”

Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to call the Houston Police Department homicide division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS.