Immigrant accused in Dallas NYE bridge shooting gets federal gun charge

DALLAS - One of the men arrested this week for a New Year's Eve incident in which semi-automatic rifles were fired from a Dallas bridge has been given a new federal charge for illegally having a gun as an undocumented immigrant. 

The man and one of his two codefendants are accused of shooting guns during holiday celebrations in a crowded city area. 

New charge in Dallas bridge shooting 

The latest:

Jose Alarcon-Sanchez, 18, of Grand Prairie, now faces a federal charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. The charge comes in addition to a Class A misdemeanor of discharging a firearm in certain municipalities, which he was arrested on by Dallas police earlier this week. 

The charge comes after a search of Alarcon-Sanchez' home found that he initially came to the U.S. on a temporary visitor visa in May 2025, which he did not request an extension for. The U.S. Attorney's office says he's been staying in the country illegally, rather than returning to his home country of Mexico when his visa expired. 

Along with the visa, the attorney's office says the search found several guns, including the one believed to have been used on the bridge in the NYE incident. Police say they recovered a .380 caliber pistol, a 9mm caliber pistol, and three 5.56 caliber AR-15 pistols. One of the AR-15 pistols has been linked to the casings found near the bridge. 

Alarcon-Sanchez was previously arrested on New Year's Day in Grand Prairie when officers responded to a shots fired call, the attorney's office said. He was reportedly found with live rounds in his pockets and his van, as well as an AK-47-style rifle.

What's next:

An appearance date for Alarcon Sanchez in federal court has not yet been scheduled.

ATF Dallas and the Dallas Police Department, assisted by the Grand Prairie Police Department, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Aulbaugh is prosecuting the case.

Evidence recovered from bridge

Dallas PD previously said they recovered over 100 casings from the bridge. According to a new complaint filing the federal charge, 79 5.56/.223 caliber casings and four 9-millimeter fired cartridge casings were recovered from where Alarcon Sanchez and the other man were observed firing the rifles.

Two other suspects

Anthony Acevedo, 20, of Grand Prairie, was also arrested in connection with the bridge shooting. He also faces a charge of discharging a firearm in certain municipalities. He's since been released on bond. 

While investigating the bridge gunfire, authorities found evidence linking Derce Lara to a violent road-rage incident in November. In that case, police say Derce Lara fired multiple rounds into a vehicle occupied by three adults and three children, the youngest of whom was 3 years old. Lara is being held on an immigration hold. 

What they're saying:

"This type of violent behavior wrought tremendous danger to countless lives on the bridge that night," said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould.  "I applaud our law enforcement partners’ meticulous investigation and use of ballistic evidence to connect this individual to the violent crime he is alleged to have committed on New Year’s Eve."

"Firing a rifle from a crowded bridge in the middle of downtown Dallas posed a serious threat to public safety. Through close coordination with the Dallas Police Department and the use of NIBIN, investigators were able to connect critical ballistic evidence and advance this case.  ATF will continue working with our partners to address violent crime and protect our communities," said ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Garner.