Police: 3 People Involved In Robbery That Ended In Officer's Death Nearly Killed Others
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Three suspects accused of terrorizing bars in south Fort Worth and ultimately shooting and killing police officer Garrett Hull are also now linked to 18 robberies total, including homes.
A bullet is still lodged in Pasqual Soria's neck after he was shot during a robbery.
"I saw an armed, hooded man in the backyard," said Soria, talking about a Sept. 12 cookout.
Soria says he started to run to warn his friends when he was shot in the lower back. He says the armed robber forced his friends to the ground at gunpoint. The victims turned over cash, wallets, cell phones and anything of value. One victim had just cashed his paycheck.
Soria says a second armed robber was there -- a man who looks like a woman.
"She was standing there, with a gun, making sure everyone followed orders and watching the other guy's back," he said.
Two days after Soria was robbed and shot, Cpl. Garrett Hull was shot and killed during an undercover sting at Los Vaqueros Bar to stop violent robberies in south Fort Worth. Police say the armed robbers had been targeting Hispanic bars since June.
Police confirm they were also in homes. In another robbery on Sept. 2, a pregnant woman, her young daughter, husband and father were held at gunpoint.
The woman tells CBS 11 they were robbed and herded into the bathroom where they were told to look away and let the water run while the robbers got away.
The suspects accused of shooting Hull are now linked to 15 robberies in Fort Worth, one in Kennedale and two in Arlington.
Suspect Dacion Steptoe was killed in the shootout that took Hull's life. The two other suspects have been identified as Samuel Mayfield and Timothy Huff.
Neighbors in south Fort Worth say they can breathe easy again thanks to the sacrifice made by Hull.
"He knew there was much more than bar robberies going on," said Ramiro Rosales. "There was a lot more to it and he knew that he could stop it."
Charges for all these additional robberies are pending.