Montgomery County Police charged 18-year-old Jose Herrera with trespassing and burglary on October. Officers apprehended Herrera inside a vacant home with other suspected MS-13 members.
Police said that the inside of the house had graffiti with multiple MS-13 identifiers. Herrera, who was a Honduran immigrant, got arrested on December 12th when he failed to show up in court.
He got released on a $100 bond ten days later despite being an ICE detainer. On December 24th, only two days after his release from jail, the alleged MS-13 member got fatally shot in Silver Spring.
Police found the 18-year-old with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. ICE officials said Herrera would still be alive if Montgomery County officials had not released him despite the detainer, WJLA reported.
One eyewitness told officers they saw two Hispanic males wearing all black clothes flee down a flight of concrete stairs. Officers and a K9 unit failed to locate any suspects. The motive also remains unknown.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Herrera got expelled from high school and kicked out of his uncle’s house. Herrera became a homeless teenager and vulnerable to gang recruitment. The source referred to Herrera as a “sad, beaten puppy” who even had trouble making eye contact.
Montgomery County argued they welcome undocumented immigrants into the community, but it is not a sanctuary county. ICE stated that the county lacks cooperation in surrendering undocumented immigrants accused of criminal behavior – this case being the latest.
This article was inspired by New York Post // Alleged MS-13 member gunned down days after release from jail