Murder Victim's Family Looking For Answers
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GARLAND (CBS11) - One brother is dead while another recovers after crashing their car as gunmen approached. It happened on Centerville Road near Broadway in Garland. That's where the crash ended what witnesses say was a chase that began in Dallas with shots fired along the way.
A father of three with another baby expected, 28-year-old Ismael Mendez, know as "Junior" by his family, died just after midnight in the middle of Centerville Road at the hands of an unknown gunman.
"It's a hurt that you can't tell with words. It feels horrible. Please pray for my family and my children," Mendez's mother, Rosalva Mendez told CBS11 through a translator.
Mendez's mother said her younger son, Daniel, was driving his brother. He's been able to tell them and police some of what led up to the crash.
"They were at a stoplight, and a car stopped next to them and started shooting at them," Rosalva Mendez said.
The family said the two brothers had just left a bar and when they got to the intersection of Ferguson Road and Gus Thomasson Road, someone in a black car fired shots at them.
That's when Daniel sped off.
"So they were able to stop when Daniel crashed. They got out of the car. They got them out of the car. Daniel got pistol whipped. They took his gold necklaces," Daniel's girlfriend Carolina Velazquez said.
Police said Junior Mendez was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. The suspects' motive remains unclear.
"And if anybody saw anything, please give us any information and call to help us," Rosalva Mendez said.
Investigators interviewed multiple witnesses, and they're checking local surveillance cameras to try to identify the shooters.
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