07.21.11 - 06:30 pm
WEST COLUMBIA, W.Va. — Troopers with the Mason County Detachment of the West Virginia State Police are on the lookout for a vehicle of interest that may lead investigators to information regarding the shooting death of Rene A. Gonzalez.
During a press conference on Wednesday at the state police facility in West Columbia, Mason County, Corporal B. L. Keefer reported that information about the vehicle is of utmost importance to the investigation as it is believed that the occupant or occupants may be able to provide essential information relating to the case.
“This, I can’t stress enough, is just a vehicle of interest,” Keefer said. “This vehicle or the occupants of this vehicle are not considered suspects at this time. This vehicle was seen, prior to Mr. Gonzalez’s murder, in the area.”
The vehicle, described as a dark-colored passenger car, possibly blue in color, is believed to have been near Gonzalez’s residence on Huntington Road in Gallipolis Ferry just prior to the death of Gonzalez at approximately 12 a.m. on Monday, July 11.
According to Keefer, the car of interest may also have tinted windows, was described as having oval headlights and is believed to be displaying a West Virginia registration plate.
Keefer further reported that witnesses described the vehicle as having an ignition/starter problem, which caused it to emit a high-pitch grinding sound when started. This sound was described as being similar to a vehicle being started when it was previously running.
“In addition to this vehicle information that we are releasing, we’re asking for the public to continue to call in leads, tips, any information as insignificant as it might sound. We are definitely interested in talking to anyone who might have information regarding this murder,” Keefer said.
Gonzalez, who died of multiple gun shot wounds, was found near the front of his residence at approximately 3:10 a.m. on July 11 by a person described as a friend of the victim; and, although, as of Tuesday, the state police are taking the lead on the investigation, the Mason County Sheriff’s Department will still play a role in solving this case, according to Keefer.
“We are still obviously working with the Mason County sheriff’s department in this case. They were the initial responding officers,” Keefer said. “The decision was made yesterday [Tuesday] that with our resources and us being able to scour the state, we would take the lead on this investigation.”
No information in regard to a motive behind the shooting has been released and, while Keefer described the victim as a person involved in the “drug world,” he emphasized that Gonzalez’s criminal history has no direct bearing on the investigation.
“What Mr. Gonzalez did up to this point is what he did,” Keefer said. “No one deserved to die the way that Mr. Gonzalez died. Regardless of his vocation, regardless of his history, no one deserved to be murdered in the manner that he was murdered. At this point, we’re not interested in his drug history unless it directly relates to this murder investigation.”
According to Keefer, currently, the main focus of the investigation is to glean as much information as possible from the public in regard to the shooting — even those individuals who may have otherwise been somehow criminally connected to the victim.
“We are looking to solve this murder,” Keefer said. “We are not going to arrest someone for obviously admitting that they’ve traveled with Mr. Gonzalez, that they’ve bought dope from Mr. Gonzalez. At this point, our investigation is the murder.”
Anyone with information relating to the vehicle of interest and/or the murder of Gonzalez is urged to contact the Mason County Detachment of the West Virginia State Police at (304) 675-0850.
“A lot the folks that have spoken with us, a lot of them had a lot of respect for Mr. Gonzalez. He was a friend,” Keefer said. “We’re hoping a lot more of those folks will talk with us because we need the public’s help in these type of crimes.”
A candlelight vigil was held in Gonzalez’s memory on Sunday, July 17 at the Krodel Park Pavilion in Point Pleasant. Friends of the victim will hold a second gathering from 6-9 p.m., Saturday, July 23 at the Down Under in Gallipolis. Donations will be accepted to help pay to send Gonzalez home.
Gonzalez, originally from Trinidad, came to the area in the late 1990s and attended the University of Rio Grande in Gallia County on a soccer scholarship.
During a press conference on Wednesday at the state police facility in West Columbia, Mason County, Corporal B. L. Keefer reported that information about the vehicle is of utmost importance to the investigation as it is believed that the occupant or occupants may be able to provide essential information relating to the case.
“This, I can’t stress enough, is just a vehicle of interest,” Keefer said. “This vehicle or the occupants of this vehicle are not considered suspects at this time. This vehicle was seen, prior to Mr. Gonzalez’s murder, in the area.”
The vehicle, described as a dark-colored passenger car, possibly blue in color, is believed to have been near Gonzalez’s residence on Huntington Road in Gallipolis Ferry just prior to the death of Gonzalez at approximately 12 a.m. on Monday, July 11.
According to Keefer, the car of interest may also have tinted windows, was described as having oval headlights and is believed to be displaying a West Virginia registration plate.
Keefer further reported that witnesses described the vehicle as having an ignition/starter problem, which caused it to emit a high-pitch grinding sound when started. This sound was described as being similar to a vehicle being started when it was previously running.
“In addition to this vehicle information that we are releasing, we’re asking for the public to continue to call in leads, tips, any information as insignificant as it might sound. We are definitely interested in talking to anyone who might have information regarding this murder,” Keefer said.
Gonzalez, who died of multiple gun shot wounds, was found near the front of his residence at approximately 3:10 a.m. on July 11 by a person described as a friend of the victim; and, although, as of Tuesday, the state police are taking the lead on the investigation, the Mason County Sheriff’s Department will still play a role in solving this case, according to Keefer.
“We are still obviously working with the Mason County sheriff’s department in this case. They were the initial responding officers,” Keefer said. “The decision was made yesterday [Tuesday] that with our resources and us being able to scour the state, we would take the lead on this investigation.”
No information in regard to a motive behind the shooting has been released and, while Keefer described the victim as a person involved in the “drug world,” he emphasized that Gonzalez’s criminal history has no direct bearing on the investigation.
“What Mr. Gonzalez did up to this point is what he did,” Keefer said. “No one deserved to die the way that Mr. Gonzalez died. Regardless of his vocation, regardless of his history, no one deserved to be murdered in the manner that he was murdered. At this point, we’re not interested in his drug history unless it directly relates to this murder investigation.”
According to Keefer, currently, the main focus of the investigation is to glean as much information as possible from the public in regard to the shooting — even those individuals who may have otherwise been somehow criminally connected to the victim.
“We are looking to solve this murder,” Keefer said. “We are not going to arrest someone for obviously admitting that they’ve traveled with Mr. Gonzalez, that they’ve bought dope from Mr. Gonzalez. At this point, our investigation is the murder.”
Anyone with information relating to the vehicle of interest and/or the murder of Gonzalez is urged to contact the Mason County Detachment of the West Virginia State Police at (304) 675-0850.
“A lot the folks that have spoken with us, a lot of them had a lot of respect for Mr. Gonzalez. He was a friend,” Keefer said. “We’re hoping a lot more of those folks will talk with us because we need the public’s help in these type of crimes.”
A candlelight vigil was held in Gonzalez’s memory on Sunday, July 17 at the Krodel Park Pavilion in Point Pleasant. Friends of the victim will hold a second gathering from 6-9 p.m., Saturday, July 23 at the Down Under in Gallipolis. Donations will be accepted to help pay to send Gonzalez home.
Gonzalez, originally from Trinidad, came to the area in the late 1990s and attended the University of Rio Grande in Gallia County on a soccer scholarship.
© mydailyregister.com 2011
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