Chaparral man set man on fire, dropped rocks on his head: Court documents
UPDATE (2:35 p.m.) -- El Paso police said the victim, Salome Lares, passed away and the offense is now murder.
UPDATE (April 1, 2026) -- ABC-7 obtained an affidavit further detailing the incident. According to documents, David Garcia set fire to Salome Lares, kicked him in the head and dropped rocks on him.
On March 28, firefighters extinguished a house fire at 710 N. Ochoa St. They found Lares laying face-down at the dead end of the street with a bottle of lighter fluid under him. Documents said he had burns on his face, chest, hands and back. He also sustained a fractured skull.
Investigators found video of the incident. Documents said the video shows Lares with Garcia and two other men, Ivan Geovanny Espinoza and Alan Portillo. Garcia and Espizona physically assaulted Lares, and walked out of view with Portillo towards the house where the fire happened. Documents said you can see Lares laying on a concrete slab.
Garcia can be seen pouring the contents of a bottle on Lares and pushing him, causing Lares to fall and strike his face on the pavement. Garcia then kicked his head multiple times, documents said. Garcia can be seen "intentionally igniting" Lares on fire before walking away.
Documents said Lares burned for approximately 10 minutes. Garcia left the camera's view, returned and threw several rocks at Lares. Garcia picked up a larger rock, which documents detailed as 10x10 inches, and dropped it on Lares' head.
The video shows Garcia leaving the scene and later returning to throw the same rocks at Lares again.
Garcia was arrested the next day for an unrelated charge, documents said. In a recorded statement, Garcia said Lares "disrespected him and the area by some of his actions." He added, he assaulted and lit Lares on fire due to the disrespect, documents said.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso Police arrested a man from Chaparral after investigators found him responsible for assaulting a man, EPPD said Monday. The arrest comes after El Paso firefighters responded to a structure fire in Central El Paso, where they found the assault victim.
Police said firefighters found 47-year-old Salome Lares with assault injuries on the 700 block of N. Ochoa St. Saturday. Lares was sent to a burn center in Lubbock in critical condition.
Investigators identified 33-year-old David Garcia responsible for the assault. Police arrested and booked him into the El Paso County Detention Facility and charged him with aggravated assault.
The El Paso Fire Department's Fire Marshals office is investigating the cause of the structure fire.
Investigators are asking for information to be sent to the non-emergency number, 915-832-4400, or to the Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477.
