© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Two Months After Fatal Shooting At Tequila KC, Second Suspect Arrested In Mexico

Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department
After a two-month search, Hugo Villanueva-Morales was arrested Wednesday in Mexico. He is a suspect in the fatal shooting at a Kansas City, Kansas, bar that left four dead in early October.

Updated at 6 a.m. Dec. 15 with suspect in Wyandotte County jail — Two months after a fatal shooting left four dead at a Kansas City, Kansas, bar, the second suspect has been arrested. 

Hugo Villanueva-Morales, 29, was taken into custody Wednesday by Michoacan State Police in Mexico, about 1,700 miles from Tequila KC. He and Javier Alatorre, 23, allegedly opened fire in the bar around 1:30 a.m. on October 6, killing Martin Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Alfredo Calderon, Ebar Meza-Aguirre and Francisco Anaya-Garcia.

Villanueva-Morales was booked into the Wyandotte County jail late Saturday evening.

Police have said they responded to a disturbance at Tequila KC just a few hours before the shooting, after one of the suspects was ejected from the bar. Villanueva-Morales and Alatorre then allegedly returned with handguns and opened fire.

The shooting rocked the 10th and Central Avenue community, which many describe as a family-oriented community where "everyone knows everyone."

"It was hectic and chaotic, but it was not a random act," Police Chief Mike York said at a press conference in October.

Alatorre was arrested later that Sunday after both men were charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Kansas City, Kansas, police raided at least two houses in the days following the shooting in search of Villanueva-Morales. Federal charging documents show Villanueva-Morales fled to Dallas, Texas, by bus just six hours after the shooting. FBI agents in Kansas City asked Dallas police to intercept the bus, but the documents say they missed it by 15 minutes.

Court records reveal extensive criminal records for both men. 

Alatorre faces felony criminal charges for possession of drugs, including Xanax and marijuana, tampering with a motor vehicle, fleeing from police and resisting arrest. 

Villanueva-Morales, who also goes by Javier Rodriguez, has a criminal history in both Kansas and Missouri, including an alleged assault against a Jackson County sheriff's deputy earlier this year. He has served time for aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery.

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. 

Andrea Tudhope is a reporter at KCUR 89.3. Email her at andreat@kcur.org, and follow her on Twitter @andreatudhope

Andrea Tudhope is an award-winning multimedia journalist based in Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently coordinating producer for America Amplified, a national public media community engagement initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.