Palmetto shooting leads to firearm, immigration charges for 2 men, prosecutors say
Two men illegally living in the United States face federal firearms charges after police say they fired shots from a moving vehicle in Palmetto earlier this year.
A federal grand jury indicted 32-year-old Hilario Diaz-Velazquez on charges of illegal reentry after deportation and possession of a firearm by an undocumented immigrant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced. His co-defendant, 19-year-old Elmer Gustabo Vasquez-Lopez, is also named in the indictment and faces a separate firearm charge stemming from the same incident, according to court records.
On March 30, a Palmetto police officer saw gunfire coming from a vehicle on 14th Street and pulled it over, according to prosecutors. Officers arrested the two occupants, later identified as Vasquez-Lopez and Diaz-Velazquez, and found a black .22-caliber Ruger and a 9mm pistol inside, according to an indictment.
The next day, Vasquez-Lopez told federal agents that he had fired one of the weapons found in the car, according to a criminal complaint. He also said he was a Guatemalan citizen. Court records show he had previously been detained by U.S. Border Patrol and was already in deportation proceedings.
Investigators confirmed Diaz-Velazquez was the second occupant and determined he had been deported from the United States in November 2012, prosecutors said.
Under federal law, undocumented immigrants and previously deported non-citizens are prohibited from possessing firearms.
Both men entered not guilty pleas during court appearances in May, according to court records. Court records show deputies arrested Diaz-Velazquez earlier that month, and a judge ordered him held without bond.
Agents arrested Vasquez-Lopez in South Florida and later brought him to Tampa to face the federal charge. Court records do not indicate whether he remains in custody.
A joint trial is scheduled to begin in July in federal court. If convicted, each man faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
