UPDATE: 2 in custody following fatal Port Arthur shooting
Published 7:09 pm Thursday, January 23, 2020
- A 35-year-old Port Arthur man was shot to death at this home in the 4500 block of Sunken Court on Wednesday. (Mary Meaux/The News)
(Editor’s note: Port Arthur Police announced Thursday evening that Jeremy Jamall Roy, 30, and Larnell Jray Mosley, 32, have been placed into custody as suspects for the murder of Jose Riojas.)
– original story –
A soggy piece of crime scene tape lay across the driveway of a home in the 4500 block of Sunken Court where a 35-year-old man was shot multiple times and killed on Wednesday.
The victim was identified through family friends as Jose Ray Riojas. This name corresponds with the name of the homeowner at the address from the Jefferson County Appraisal District.
Jose Ray Riojas is seen in 2015 showing the first hand-drawn sketch that evolved into the logo for his production company, Loz 409 Boyz.
Port Arthur police were called to the home at approximately 5:32 p.m. Wednesday in reference to a shooting. When they arrived they found the victim unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper and lower extremities. He was brought by ambulance to the Medical Center of Southeast Texas, where he was pronounced dead, according to information from Sgt. Shannon Meaux.
Police were tight lipped during the investigation on Thursday and refused to comment on the name of the victim, the number of times he had been shot or if the shooting happened inside or outside the home.
Police Chief Tim Duriso did not return a call seeking comment.
Sunken Court is a divided roadway with a grassy median in the center, where single-family homes are well kept.
The city is working on excavating and reconstructing a portion of the roadway where the odd numbered addresses access their driveways across the median.
There is also mud caked on the roadway from recent rain that filled the opposite side of the street.
The side of the street where the killing took place is accessible from the street but only for several blocks before drivers are forced to detour to side roads.
On a nearby street Thursday, Jose Rivera and several other men were cutting wood and working on a home project. Rivera said he didn’t hear anything at the time of the shooting because he was working inside the house but he did see the flashing lights from the emergency vehicles when he went outside.
A woman who said she was afraid to give her name said she was taking a nap when the shooting took place but her sister heard the gunshots. She said she is “terrified” and hopes this is an isolated event.
PAPD’s Criminal Investigations Division is handling the case.
This marks the first homicide in the city this year.
