FBI arrests Palmetto man accused of deadly shooting, Manatee deputies say
A Palmetto man faces a murder charge in a deadly 2019 shooting after investigators found him in another country and deported him back to the U.S., according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
After an investigation that spanned over six years, the sheriff’s office worked with the FBI and local authorities in Mexico to catch 27-year-old Irving Zuniga in Mexico City, according to a news release.
Zuniga had allegedly fled from Florida to Mexico after shooting and killing 18-year-old Jesus Molina on June 29, 2019, in Manatee County, deputies said.
When authorities found him, they transported Zuniga to Miami, where the sheriff’s office and members of the FBI task force took him into custody, the news release said. Law enforcement then transported him to Manatee County, where he is facing a charge of second-degree murder, according the sheriff’s office.
Palmetto man charged with 2019 murder
At about 7:17 a.m. on June 29, 2019, an individual notified the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office of a man lying unresponsive in the grass in the 1200 block of 61st Street East in Palmetto. Deputies found 18-year-old Jesus Molina deceased with a gunshot wound to the head, the news release said.
After the Manatee Homicide Investigation Unit began its investigation, detectives determined that Zuniga and Molina were arguing outside a residence in the 1200 block of Martin Luther King Place, which led to Zuniga allegedly shooting Molina in the head and taking his body to a “remote area,” according to the release.
Detectives attempted to locate Zuniga in Manatee County, but later discovered that he had fled to Mexico, the release said.
The sheriff’s office began working with the FBI on the case over the summer, and learned last week that Zuniga was in Mexico City, the news release said.
Zuniga was booked into the Manatee County Jail on Saturday, where he is being held without bond, according to the release.
This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 12:35 PM.
