UPDATE: Friends identify man killed in overnight shooting

El Paso crimes against persons is investigating a shooting that happened in a parking lot of a shopping center on 11335 Montwood drive in east El Paso.

The shooting happened after midnight Sunday, police blocked off the scene for several hours.

A spokesman for the El Paso police department told ABC-7 several off-duty officers were working security in the shopping area when they heard gun shots.

Police say a 19-year-old man and two 22-year-old men were walking in the parking lot continuing an argument that happened inside of a bar at the shopping center.

During the argument police say the 19-year-old man took out a gun and fired several rounds, killing one of the 22-year olds. The man allegedly attempted to flee the scene but was caught after a short foot pursuit by the off-duty police officers.

The second victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Police arrested the suspect at the scene. They have not yet released any of names of the men involved in the incident.

Police have not yet identified the man killed, but friends tell ABC-7 he was Rogelio “RJ” Franco.

“He wasn’t like any other friend, he was a brother to all of us,” Franco’s friend Joseph Ortega said.

Friends describe Franco as outgoing and funny. They said he had a lot of friends, and made a lasting impact on everyone he met.

“Very popular guy, got a long with everybody,” Jason DePaul Donaldson, who was friends with Franco for about 10 years said.

Donaldson said Franco was also never one to pick a fight.

“Never been in trouble, never started anything, never been in trouble with anything like that,” he said.

That’s why Donaldson says he’s in shock the Montwood High School graduate and star football player was shot and killed outside a bar in east El Paso.

Ortega wasn’t at the bar but says he knows people who were.

“The story I heard is that the 19-year-old got kicked out. They were waiting for him outside and as soon as he got outside the altercation happened and that’s it,” Ortega said.

Orega wants to know why a 19-year-old was allowed in the bar to begin with.

“I feel angry,” He said. “What can you do? It’s a little kid at a bar where people are trying to enjoy themselves.”

Sunday night ABC-7 spoke with a manager at Barfly who said he wouldn’t be able to comment with out a lawyer present.

Police say this is the third murder of 2017.