Venezuelan gang members accused in Texas fatal shooting arrested in Aurora

AURORA, Colo. — Two men wanted for a murder and kidnapping in Texas were arrested in Colorado, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Jhonatan Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 22, and Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar, 25, were arrested by ICE officers in Aurora on Sept. 26. According to a spokesperson for the agency, both are documented members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Gonzalez and Bolivar are suspects in the death of Nilzuly Petit, 33, who was shot and killed in Farmers Branch, Texas, on Aug. 24. 

The Farmers Branch Police department said Petit was also a documented member of Tren de Aragua and worked with the suspects in a “complex ATM theft operation.” The suspects accused Petit of keeping more than his share of the stolen money and demanded he pay them back, the department said. When Petit did not provide a payment, police said he was kidnapped from his Dallas apartment, driven to Farmers Branch and shot in the head. Police said two juveniles were also taken from the apartment and were found walking on a road near where Petit was killed.

Gonzalez and Bolivar are being held at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, pending extradition to Texas. They are facing possible charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. 

Another suspect in Petit’s death, Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza, 38, was arrested on Oct. 11 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Police are still searching for a fourth suspect, identified as Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 29. 

Denver and Aurora police said they do not have any record of interacting with Gonzalez or Bolivar.