Abel Acosta, accused of a deadly 2021 shooting, remains at large five years later, leaving families seeking justice and authorities urging the public for leads.
DALLAS — A 14-year-old accused of opening fire inside a Garland convenience store the day after Christmas— killing three teenagers, injuring a fourth — and then vanishing.
Five years later, Abel Acosta is still on the run.
Dec. 26, 2021: A deadly encounter
Garland police say the first calls came in reporting multiple people shot at a convenience store near Glenbrook and Walnut.
Officers found four victims inside — three dead and one critically wounded.
Surveillance video from inside and outside the store was clear and disturbing. Detective Lucas Shupe, the lead detective on the case, said the video shows a pickup truck pulling into the lot with two occupants: an adult male driver and a juvenile passenger.
In the video, you see the adult — later identified as Richard Acosta — go into the store first. He purchased something small and looked toward a group of teens inside. He then returned to the truck and began talking with the juvenile male. The two appeared to point toward people inside the store.
Shupe said the truck backed up, circled around the store through the fuel pumps, briefly moved off camera, then returned.
When the juvenile exited the truck, he was no longer wearing it and was carrying a gun. Surveillance later showed he “put on a baseball cap, removed his shirt, and put on a mask,” said Shupe.
“It appears to me that steps were taken based upon surveillance video that he concealed his identity,” Shupe said. “It tells me he has enough thought process that he is thinking about what is about to happen, and he doesn’t want to be identified.”
As soon as the door opened, the gun was inside the store.
“As soon as the door’s opening, the gun’s inside the store, he starts shooting,” Shupe said.
Investigators say one of the victims, 14-year-old Xavier Gonzalez, “was not in any way, shape or form associated with these kids. He was just sitting down on the chair waiting for his food order to get completed,” said Pedro Barineau, Garland Police PIO.
Another victim, 17-year-old Rafael Garcia, was remembered by his sister as someone who “loved playing soccer, he loved playing football,” and “he would go into my mom’s room just to tell her how much he loved her.”
A third teen was also killed. A 15-year-old employee was cooking in the back when the gunfire erupted.
The surviving victim, the cook, was shot and critically injured. His family later described the chaos inside the store: “She was dialing, and I don’t know what was happening from there. I was only worried about breathing.”
Motive
Investigators say Abel Acosta was part of a gang. At least two of the victims had once been acquaintances.
Shupe said investigators believed the relationships had fractured months before the shooting and that prior incidents had occurred between the groups. Authorities do not believe it was a random attack — but they say one innocent bystander paid the ultimate price.
“All he was going to do was pick up food for his family, and he didn’t make it home because someone made a bad decision,” a family member said.
The father’s role
Richard Acosta, Abel’s father, was charged with capital murder for his alleged role in aiding his son.
Prosecutors argued he “directed aided, in the execution of those 3 boys,” said Stephanie Fargo, prosecutor.
The defense countered, “We are saying he didn’t know he aided his son before, during or after this offense,” said Heath Harris, defense attorney.
Harris argued, “Hearing shots does not mean that he saw what happened… he told you he didn’t see it.”
Another defense claim stated, “I just know he didn’t know he had a gun when he went into the store.”
Prosecutors said surveillance showed the truck circling, stopping and positioning before the shooting — and that Richard Acosta drove away quickly afterward.
“Able got out of the truck, goes in there in public, opens fire in the store, and he goes back to the truck and the truck drives away. So the fact that he drove away quickly, he knew that’s why he’s also being charged with capital murder,” Barineau said.
After deliberations, a jury convicted Richard Acosta. He was sentenced to life without parole.
One family member said, “That night changed our lives forever — today was only half the justice he deserved. I hope Abel is also brought to justice.”
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said, “We are never going to stop looking for his son and we will continue to look.”
The manhunt
Five years later, Abel Acosta remains missing.
“We still have a kid out there responsible for it,” Shupe said. “I would consider it still a danger to the public.”
Authorities believe he did not escape alone.
“Someone is helping him… whose helping him? That is still unknown,” Shupe said. “It’s actually pretty infuriating. I did not think a 14-year-old could be gone this long. I really did not.”
Investigators have worked with federal partners, including the U.S. Marshals and FBI, to track down leads across the country and possibly beyond. Digital evidence and tips have been analyzed, but Shupe said, “It has been over 5 years now, and we do not know his location.”
Some speculate he may be dead. Shupe disagrees.
“It is my opinion, I’ve maintained from the beginning, that he is alive,” he said.
Police have evidence that the family made trips to Mexico in the past, and both sides may have relatives there. However, Shupe cautions against assumptions that he is definitively outside the U.S.
“I don’t want the public to just make the assumption that he’s out of the country and quit looking and quit noticing and quit reporting,” he said.
Authorities believe someone knows something.
“I truly believe that there are members of the public, friends of the family who know details. Reach out and let us know that information. You can submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers,” said Shupe.
The families still waiting
For the families of Xavier Gonzalez, Ivan Noyala and Rafael Garcia, justice remains incomplete.
“Right now we are his voice, and we are here to get justice,” said one aunt during the trial.
Another family member said, “We didn’t realize how much of an impact he had until we lost him — not in a million years did he deserve what your son did and the actions you took to aid him.”
Five years later, memorials still stand. Birthdays are still marked without them.
And somewhere, investigators believe, the now-grown fugitive is still out there.
If you have information about Abel Acosta’s whereabouts, contact the Garland Police or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.