Federal prosecutors have charged Jose Raul Alarcon Sanchez, 18, with unlawful possession of a firearm as an illegal alien following a New Year’s Eve shooting on the crowded Margaret McDermott Bridge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Court records show Alarcon Sanchez entered the United States in May 2025 on a temporary visitor visa that expired without an extension. Federal prosecutors say he remained in the country afterward, classifying him as an illegal alien under federal law.
The federal charge stems from a New Year’s Eve incident in which rifles were fired from the bridge as traffic was stopped and crowds gathered nearby for downtown Dallas fireworks. Video of the gunfire circulated widely on social media and triggered a multi-agency investigation.
According to the federal complaint, just after midnight on January 1, Alarcon Sanchez and another man stood on the bridge amid vehicles and pedestrians and took turns filming each other while firing black rifles over the span. Prosecutors allege Alarcon Sanchez fired an AR-15-style pistol during the incident.
“This type of violent behavior wrought tremendous danger to countless lives on the bridge that night,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in announcing the charge.
Ballistics Evidence, Firearms, and Social Media Posts
Investigators recovered 79 fired 5.56/.223-caliber cartridge casings and four 9-millimeter casings from the bridge, along with 16 additional 5.56/.223 casings, eight 9-millimeter casings, and one .40-caliber casing beneath it, according to court records.
Ballistics testing later linked one recovered 5.56-caliber AR-15 pistol to the casings found at the scene.
A federal search warrant executed on January 28 at Alarcon Sanchez’s residence uncovered a .380-caliber pistol, a 9-millimeter pistol, and three 5.56-caliber AR-15 pistols, one of which investigators say was connected to the bridge shooting. Agents also recovered Alarcon Sanchez’s Mexican passport, which prosecutors cited in documenting his immigration status.
Court records further state that investigators located social media photos posted December 28, 2025, and January 1, 2026, showing a man holding two AR-style rifles that prosecutors say appear to match the firearms used on the bridge.
Alarcon Sanchez was arrested earlier on January 1 in Grand Prairie following a separate “shots fired” call. Officers reported finding 5.56-caliber live rounds in his pockets and an AK-47-style rifle with loaded magazines inside his vehicle.
ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Garner said investigators used the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to connect ballistic evidence across incidents.
“This helped advance the case,” Garner said.
Alarcon Sanchez had previously been arrested by Dallas police on a Class A misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in certain municipalities. The federal firearm charge significantly escalates the case and carries potential prison exposure.
The Dallas Express previously reported that Dallas police arrested multiple suspects following the viral bridge shooting and placed immigration holds on two individuals while investigators coordinated with federal authorities. At the time, officials had not publicly detailed Alarcon Sanchez’s immigration status.
Saturday’s federal filing marks the first time the Department of Justice has formally charged Alarcon Sanchez as an illegal alien in connection with the bridge gunfire.
ATF Dallas and the Dallas Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Grand Prairie Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Aulbaugh is prosecuting. An initial appearance in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
A criminal complaint is an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.