DEC 2020 Blues Vol 36 No. 12 - 36TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

HPD Sgt. Sean Rios

HPD Sgt. Sean Rios Another Houston Hero Lost to Gunfire HOUSTON – On November 9, 2020, Houston Police Sgt. Sean Rios, a 24-year veteran of the department, was on his way to work at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport when he witnessed a road rage incident that erupted in gunfire on Houston’s North Freeway. Not one to ignore a crime in progress, Rios found himself in the middle of a gunfight between two thugs from Houston – Robert Soliz, a 24 yr. old known gang member who was out on bond for what else, a gun possession charge; and another suspect Jason Vasquez, who is still at large as of Nov. 30th. According to court records, prosecutors said three men witnessed the exchange of gunfire from the Dixon Motors car dealership on Interstate 45. They told detectives that they noticed a black Chevrolet truck and a blue Mercedes Benz parked behind the business on Stuebner Airline. A man, believed to be Soliz, was seen getting out of the Mercedes and running into the nearby Cactus King nursery, directly across from the dealership. Another man, later identified as Rios, was seen firing into the nursery from a driveway. The man in the nursery fired back at Rios, witnesses said, and the sergeant retreated back toward Stuebner Airline. At that point, the witnesses saw the driver of the black truck waving his hands toward the nursery. One witness said the driver appeared to be signaling for Soliz to come out. Soliz then stepped onto Stuebner Airline and again opened fire toward Rios, the witness said. Both the Mercedes and the pickup sped off, while Rios made his way toward the front office of the nearby Taj Inn & Suites, where he walked inside and asked the clerk to call 911 and then collapsed. By the time EMS arrived, Rios was pronounced dead. According to prosecutors, Soliz went to GTO Transmission Repair on Berwyn Drive, about half a mile from the scene. His child’s grandfather works there, and Soliz asked the man if he knew anyone who could fix his car. There was a fresh bullet hole in the windshield. Soliz told him he “just got shot at on the freeway,” according to prosecutors. The grandfather told detectives that he went inside the shop and when he returned, Soliz had driven away with a man in a black pickup. He knew Soliz always carried a gun and when he saw the bullet hole, he “didn’t touch the vehicle as he did not want to get involved,” prosecutors said. Surveillance video from the repair shop, shows Soliz arriving with the man in the black pickup. In the video, Soliz appears to be pacing and can be heard saying “my f’ing jammed,” according to prosecutors, who believe he was referring to his gun. He also said, “he almost hit me,” prosecutors said. At the scene, HPD recovered two types of ammunition. Two .40-caliber casings were found on Stuebner Airline and two 9 mm casings were found within the nursery. Police also found a .38 revolver on Stuebner Airline, believed to be Rios’ gun. Detectives said he fired three rounds. The casings were still in the cylinder of the gun. Soliz was charged with capital murder in Rios’ death and also faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for unrelated incidents — one of which was connected to a road rage shooting earlier this year with a former high school classmate. Wade Smith, Soliz’s attorney at the hearing, said his client is originally from the Houston area. Soliz’s social media accounts show he is a member of The Sauce Factory gang, which is known for selling drugs and promoting underage prostitution. The group also has been tied to several murders in the Houston-area and are involved in ongoing feuds with rival gangs. At the time of the shooting, Soliz, had been out on a 0 bond since February for an unlawful carrying of a weapon in a motor vehicle charge. According to Harris County records, Soliz has bonded in and out of jail for several misdemeanor arrests dating back to 2014 when he was a teenager. In January 2018, he pleaded guilty to charges of evading arrest and weapons possession in exchange for a six-month sentence in the Harris County Jail. He failed to surrender to the jail to start that sentence and another agency picked him up within days. That following July, he served another 90 days in the jail for a terroristic threat charge. Soliz also faces two additional charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to prosecutors. The first case is from January, when he was accused of threatening store clerk with a gun. In the second case from October, he was accused of shooting at a person’s vehicle *NEXT PAGE 22 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 23