Jesus Hernandez was the first homicide victim in Abilene this year. The 44-year-old Hispanic man was found unresponsive on the pavement outside the Courtyard Park apartment complex in the 3300 block of Sherry Lane in North Abilene after officers were dispatched about 5:15 a.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 2026. He had injuries described as consistent with a homicide, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, and was later pronounced dead.

Detectives from the Major Investigations Bureau opened the investigation immediately and have been seeking a suspect or suspects. Several juveniles were detained on Saturday, February 23, 2026, after a SWAT team served a search warrant at the Abilene North Apartments, the same complex where Hernandez was found, but it is unclear how many were taken into custody or whether any will face charges. Hours before Hernandez was discovered, police had responded elsewhere in North Abilene to two assaults: a Hispanic man with blunt-force trauma whose injuries were not life-threatening, and a 20-year-old Black man who arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound in critical condition.

Anyone with information about Hernandez’s death is asked to contact detectives or Abilene Crime Stoppers.