Jose Raul Alarcon Sanchez, a Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States, was charged by federal complaint.
Just after midnight on January 1, 2026, Alarcon Sanchez and another man were on the Margaret McDermott Bridge amid numerous stopped cars and people at the time of the downtown Dallas firework presentations. While standing on the bridge, Alarcon Sanchez and the other individual allegedly took turns filming each other shooting black rifles over the bridge.
“This type of violent behavior wrought tremendous danger to countless lives on the bridge that night,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “I applaud our law enforcement partners’ meticulous investigation and use of ballistic evidence to connect this individual to the violent crime he is alleged to have committed on New Year’s Eve.”
According to the complaint, on January 5, 2026, Dallas Police Department officers recovered seventy-nine 5.56/.223 caliber and four 9-millimeter fired cartridge casings where Alarcon Sanchez and the other man were observed firing the rifles.
They also recovered an additional sixteen 5.56/.223 caliber FCCs, eight 9-millimeter FCCs, and one .40 caliber FCC under the bridge.
“Firing a rifle from a crowded bridge in the middle of downtown Dallas posed a serious threat to public safety. Through close coordination with the Dallas Police Department and the use of NIBIN, investigators were able to connect critical ballistic evidence and advance this case. ATF will continue working with our partners to address violent crime and protect our communities,” said ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Garner.
Court records show that Alarcon Sanchez was arrested on January 1, 2026, by Grand Prairie Police Department officers in response to a “shots fired” call to 911. Alarcon Sanchez had multiple 5.56/.233 live rounds in both of his front pockets. During a search of Alarcon Sanchez’s van, officers located additional 5.56/.223 FCCs, along with an AK-47 style rifle and magazines loaded with rounds of a different caliber than those recovered from the bridge in Dallas.
During a later search of Alarcon Sanchez’s home on January 28, 2026, pursuant to a federal search warrant, court records show that ATF agents and Dallas Police task force officers located multiple firearms—including what is believed to be the firearm used on the bridge on New’s Year’s Eve—in a space between Alarcon Sanchez’s bed and his closet. As alleged in the complaint, the firearms recovered consisted of a .380 caliber pistol, a 9mm caliber pistol, and three 5.56 caliber AR-15 pistols. The investigation linked one of the recovered AR-15 pistols to the fired cartridge casings found at the Margaret McDermott Bridge.
Agents also found Alarcon Sanchez’s Mexican passport in his room. Court records show that Alarcon Sanchez entered the United States in May 2025 on a temporary visitor visa that expired and that he did not request an extension. As alleged, Alarcon Sanchez decided to stay and live in the United States illegally rather than returning to Mexico.
Investigators also located photographs posted on a social media account of Alarcon Sanchez, dated December 28, 2025, and January 1, 2026, showing a man holding two AR-style rifles, which, according to the complaint, are typically chambered in 5.56/.223 caliber and appear to be the same two firearms from the bridge on New Year’s Eve:
An appearance date for Alarcon Sanchez in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
ATF Dallas and the Dallas Police Department, assisted by the Grand Prairie Police Department, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Aulbaugh is prosecuting the case.
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