Finn's Take· TL;DRHe walked in like any other customer. He paid for gas, pocketed his receipt, and walked out — only to return moments later with a loaded handgun. That chilling sequence of events unfolded in Socorro, Texas, in the early morning hours of April 24, and the man responsible has not yet been caught.
At about 12:30 a.m. on April 24, a man entered the Murphy USA at 10361 Alameda. The suspect first walked up to the counter and purchased gas. Moments later, he returned armed with a handgun with an extended magazine. The extended magazine — a detail that distinguishes a casual criminal from someone who came prepared — signals a level of premeditation that authorities are taking seriously.
The man threatened the store clerk with the gun and demanded money from the register, then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The clerk was left unharmed physically, but the trauma of staring down a weapon in the middle of the night at a near-empty gas station is not something easily forgotten.
The suspect's clothing may be the key to cracking this case. Rather than dressing to blend in, he showed up in an outfit that stands out. He was wearing a black jacket, an orange Denver Broncos jersey with the number "94," and a blue face covering, covering the bottom portion of his face. The partial face covering suggests some awareness of surveillance cameras, but the bold orange jersey is the kind of detail that sticks in people's memories.
He is described as a Hispanic male, medium build and 20 to 25 years of age. While that description alone might not narrow things down much in a densely populated border region, the combination of the jersey number, the color, and the specific location could jog the memory of someone who knows this individual — a neighbor, a friend, a family member who saw him heading out that night.
The Socorro Police Department and Crime Stoppers of El Paso want the public's help in finding the man who robbed the gas station at gunpoint. The case has been selected as a featured "Crime of the Week," a designation used to shine a spotlight on unsolved cases and drive tips from the community. It's a tactic that has worked before — and investigators are clearly hoping familiarity with the suspect's unusual outfit will do the heavy lifting.
Anyone with information on the identity of this robber should call Crime Stoppers of El Paso at (915) 566-8477 or visit cselpaso.org. Tips remain anonymous, and if a tip leads to an arrest, the caller may qualify for a cash reward. That combination — anonymity and a potential payout — is designed to lower the barrier for anyone hesitant to come forward.
Four months have passed since the robbery, and the case remains open. Gas station workers, who are routinely among the most vulnerable employees in any city — working alone, overnight, with cash on hand — deserve to know that crimes like this don't simply fade away. The Socorro Police Department's decision to push this case publicly suggests they believe the answer is out there, likely within the community itself.
Whether someone recognizes the Broncos jersey, the face covering, or the build of the suspect, a single phone call could close this case. In crimes like these, it's rarely sophisticated detective work that breaks things open — it's a neighbor who remembers something odd, or a friend who puts two and two together. The clock is still running.