It was supposed to be a quiet Sunday afternoon in Henderson, but things took a terrifying turn at a local intersection. Around midday yesterday, the peace was shattered when a woman was shot while sitting in her vehicle at the busy corner of FM 225 South and Highway 79 South. Witnesses and 911 callers quickly alerted authorities, sparking an intense manhunt that had the whole community on edge.
The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office eventually identified the man behind the trigger as 50-year-old Valente Abeldano Perez. Locals and officials also knew him by the name “Mauricio.” After the shots were fired, Perez reportedly sped away from the scene in a truck, leaving the victim behind in her vehicle as first responders rushed to help.
The victim, whose name is being kept private for now, was quickly transported to a nearby hospital. While she is still under medical care, the Henderson Police Department hasn’t released much about her current condition. The community has been holding its breath, hoping for good news as she recovers from the traumatic encounter.
Law enforcement didn’t waste any time. The search for Perez involved multiple agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety and Rusk County Constable Jesse Stewart’s office. For hours, they combed the area, tracking the movement of the truck he used to flee the intersection.
The search finally came to a somber end when deputies found Perez’s body in an empty lot off County Road 482. His truck was parked right there beside him. The scene was quiet, a stark contrast to the violence that had unfolded just hours earlier on the highway.
Right now, there are still more questions than answers about how Perez died. Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez mentioned that while they found him deceased, they are waiting on autopsy results before they can officially say what happened in those final moments. For now, the cause of death is being kept under wraps.
Despite the tragic ending, police are reassuring everyone that this seems to have been an isolated incident. There is no ongoing threat to the people of Henderson or the surrounding Rusk County area. Investigators are still working hard to piece together the “why” behind the shooting, looking for any clues that could explain what led up to such a violent Sunday.
