Son arrested for allegedly fatally shooting father on July 4 at Red Sands

A father was attempting to stop a fight when he was fatally shot by his son on the Fourth of July in the Red Sands desert, a complaint affidavit states.

Jair Navarro, 21, of Horizon City, faces a murder charge in the death of his father, 39-year-old Arturo Navarro. The suspect was involved in a fight with a group of people in the off-road desert, where crowds were gathered to light fireworks beyond the El Paso city limits.

The shooting occurred about 11:50 p.m. July 4 near the 15600 block of Montana Avenue. Jair Navarro fled the scene after the shooting and was arrested days later, the affidavit states.

A bond hearing scheduled for July 17 was canceled. El Paso Magistrate Judge Antonio Aun said later that Jair Navarro had been out on bond before the shooting on drug charges. He was rebooked into the El Paso County Jail on the drug charges.

Jesse Herrera, Jair Navarro's attorney, declined to comment until after a bond hearing is held for his client.

Witness says victim was shot in head

A Texas Rescue Patrol volunteer, who is also a reserve officer in Kountze, Texas, was flagged down by people in the Red Sands area and told about a fight involving a weapon, the affidavit states. The officer was told by another person that someone was shot in the head.

The officer arrived at the scene of the fight, where witnesses identified two suspects who got into a black Chevrolet Tahoe. The officer went up to the vehicle with his gun drawn and ordered the men out of the vehicle. The men refused the order and fled.

More: Horizon City man arrested in fatal shooting of his father on the Fourth of July

The Tahoe was seen exiting the Red Sands area off of Montana Avenue, the affidavit states. El Paso County Sheriff's Office deputies attempted to pull over the Tahoe, but the driver refused to stop. Deputies pursued the Tahoe but lost sight of it as it drove into a desert area, the affidavit states.

The Tahoe was later found at a house in the 14000 block of Frisco Drive near Red Sands in the Montana Vista area after the residents reported a car on their property that didn't belong to them.

Video shows fight, fatal shoot

Back at the crime scene, El Paso County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit detectives arrived and met with witnesses. A witness provided a video of the shooting to the deputies.

The video showed a large fight involving several people. Jair Navarro is seen in the video wearing a black shirt and holding a handgun, arguing with several people, the affidavit states.

Arturo Navarro is seen in the video attempting to pull Jair Navarro away from the fight, the affidavit states. Jair Navarro, now shirtless, was punched by a man involved in the fight. Jair Navarro allegedly pointed the gun at the man who punched him.

Arturo Navarro allegedly lunged at the man and attempted to punch him. Arturo Navarro is still between his son and the man when he is seen in the video falling to the ground. He attempts to get back up when a "muzzle flash is seen coming from the gun (Jair Navarro) is seen holding," the affidavit states.

Arturo Navarro was taken to The Hospitals of Providence East Campus in critical condition. He died at the hospital July 7.

Family identifies Jair Navarro as shooter

Deputies connected Jair Navarro to the shooting by comparing a photo still taken from the video to a photo on his Facebook page, the affidavit states.

Deputies went to The Hospitals of Providence East Campus to meet with the Navarro family because they believed the shooter and the family knew each other.

Arturo Navarro's sister was shown the photo. She identified Jair Navarro in the photo as her nephew and Arturo Navarro's son, the affidavit states.

More: Man in critical condition after shooting on Fourth of July in Red Sands area

Hospital medical staff told deputies Arturo Navarro “showed little brain activity that was on the decline,” the affidavit states. Deputies were later notified Arturo Navarro died from injuries he sustained in the shooting.

U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Jair Navarro Friday, July 12 — five days after his father died — in the 11600 block of Datsun Drive in Socorro, officials said.

He was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a $750,000 bond, jail records show. He remains jailed as of Wednesday, July 17, jail logs show.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Horizon City man charged with fatally shooting dad on Fourth of July