Bradenton man now arrested in 2 cold case killings of rival gang members, sheriff says
A Bradenton man was arrested Monday for his role in a 16-year-old cold case killing in Bradenton, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Tuesday.
Pedro Garcia, 40, of Bradenton, was arrested without incident at a residence in the 800 block of 30th Avenue West, authorities said.
He is charged with the murder of Guadalupe Vela, 20, who was killed in Bradenton in June 2006.
Garcia, also known as “Pedico,” is a known member of the East Side Crip gang, the sheriff’s office said. Vela, who was a member of a rival gang, was shot in the back by Garcia after the two were in an argument in 2006.
This is the second cold case killing in which Garcia has been charged in the past 7 months. In June he was charged with the 2014 murder of another rival gang member, Samuel Conde.
On June 26, 2006, Both Garcia and Vela were at Santa Fe Bar and Grill, 830 301 Blvd. East. The men got into an argument inside the bar which escalated in parking lot, and they left in opposite directions, the release said.
Vela ran into Garica later that night while at a relative’s house in the 100 block of 33rd Avenue East.
Detectives said that as Vela tried to run away, Garcia pulled out a 9mm pistol and shot Vela twice in the back. Vela’s body was later found in the backyard of his relatives’ home.
Several empty 9 mm shell casings were found on the street by deputies.
Five months later, Garcia was pulled over during a traffic stop. In his vehicle, police found a 9 mm pistol and arrested him for possessing a firearm by a convicted felon.
The gun was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for ballistics testing, and it was discovered that the gun was linked to the crime scene but that the bullets that hit Vela were from another gun.
In the time since the killing, several witnesses have come forward, saying “Pedico” told them he killed Vela.
Detectives said that while in the county jail in 2015, Garcia told another inmate that he had killed Vela and shared with him specific details from the night of the shooting.
More recently, in 2021, a prisoner at Wakulla Correctional Institution told investigators that he witnessed Garcia shoot Vela back in 2006.
“Detectives believe Garcia may have committed other violent crimes that remain unsolved from the early to mid-2000’s,” the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s office at (941) 747-3011. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000, call Manatee Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS or visit www.ManateeCrimeStoppers.com.
This story will be updated with more information.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 11:26 AM.
