Two men charged with capital murder related to deadly mass shooting in East El Paso bar parking lot
Update (October 2, 2024): Williams remains in jail on a $1,200,000 bond. Williams' and John's jury trial is scheduled for November 8, 2024 at 8:30 AM.
John remains in jail on a $500,000 bond.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Two men are each charged with capital murder in connection to a deadly mass shooting in a bar parking lot. Two people died, and four others were wounded.
El Paso police confirmed the arrests in a news release emailed Friday night.
According to the El Paso County Jail records, Andrew James Williams, 20, and Aaron John, 22, are both being held in the El Paso County Jail under bonds totaling $2.5 million each.
Both are being charged with capital murder.
According to jail records, both Williams and John have addresses at Fort Bliss.
El Paso police said James Nicholson, 26, was killed in the shooting that occurred outside the Ditzy Duck Bar on the 1160 block of Airway Boulevard in the early morning hours Thursday. Alexa Retana, 27, died from her wounds at University Medical Center later that morning. They, along with four others, were shot after an argument that started inside the bar spilled out into the parking lot. The victims who survived were identified as Jason Web, 25; Samuel Munoz, 27; John Retana, 28; and Sebastian Benecke, 30.
In a news release, El Paso police said they obtained surveillance footage from a neighboring business that captured the shooting and the moments leading up to it. Investigators determined that there was an assault, and then two men identified as Williams and John pulled out handguns and began firing into the crowd, according to the news release.
Police said they got a description of a vehicle the pair used to leave the scene, and Ft. Bliss Military Police stopped the vehicle at the post entry gate on Constitution, about 8 miles from the bar.
ABC-7 has reached out to El Paso's Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission office, which stated that it is now investigating the Ditzy Duck. The TABC was unable to share if the bar has had previous issues or complaints made against it.
El Paso police are asking for anyone to call the non-emergency line at (915) 832-4400 with information about the shooting.
