Gerber Danilo Panteleon-Palencia, 33, of Nashville, Tennessee, was fatally shot in Nacogdoches, Texas, on March 20, 2025. Neighbors reported hearing gunfire about 1 p.m. in the front yard of a home on N. Popp Street. Officers found Panteleon-Palencia with at least two gunshot wounds; he gave information about the incident before being flown to a Tyler hospital, where he died later that night.

Seventeen-year-old Hernan Cuarenta of Nacogdoches was arrested after fleeing the scene in the victim’s truck; the vehicle was later found abandoned on W. Scale Street and Cuarenta was located nearby. He initially faced aggravated assault and theft of a firearm charges, which were upgraded to first-degree murder after Panteleon-Palencia’s death. Investigators say Cuarenta led officers to the handgun used in the shooting. The exact relationship between Panteleon-Palencia and Cuarenta is unclear, though early reports indicated they may have been family members.

Anyone with information about the shooting or the men’s relationship is asked to come forward.