Two shooting suspects are among four people recently indicted in northern Alabama on charges of illegal re-entry after deportation or being in possession of a firearm while in the U.S. illegally.

Prim Escalona, the U.S. Attorney for northern Alabama, on Friday announced the indictments, which were issued in November, December and January.

“Keeping our communities safe is our top priority,” Ecalona said. “My office is focused on prosecuting individuals who are in our country illegally, especially those who engage in federal crimes.”

• Elbio Byron Cuz-Chub, 22, of Guatemala, was indicted on a charge being an alien in possession of a firearm.

On Oct. 20, 2024, Birmingham police responded to a Shot Spotter notification from Mountainview Road on the city’s westside.

Officers spotted a vehicle with three men inside and conducted a stop. Cuz-Chub was in the driver’s seat with a gun in the vehicle’s cupholder, according to federal documents.

Two other people were in the vehicle, including one man who was “moaning in pain and holding his stomach.”

That man, authorities said, had been shot in the wrist and abdomen. He identified Cruz as the shooter, records state, and Cruz contended the man accidentally shot himself.

Investigators learned Cruz was encountered by border patrol agents on Dec. 10, 2017, entering the U.S. from Mexico in the Rio Grand Valley. He was released with a court date, but failed to show up, according to his indictment, and was ordered to be removed from the U.S.

• Edgar Bayardo Madriz-Morales, 64, of Nicaragua, was indicted on a charge of illegal reentry after deportation.

Madriz was found in Franklin County on Nov. 2, 2024.

Investigators learned he was deported to Nicaragua in August 2002 and again in October 2023. Both deportations, documents stated, came after felony convictions. The documents did not identify the felony offenses.

• Jorge Campos-Xochihua, 31, of Mexico, is charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm.

Tarrant police on Oct. 24, 2024, responded to shots fired from a vehicle in the area of Park Avenue but found nothing amiss.

A short time later, police were again alerted to shots fired in the same area, according to the indict.

An officer made contact with two men sitting in a gray Chevrolet Camaro around Pinson Street.

The driver said a drunk man came out of a bar and pointed a gun at him and his cousin. They ran to their vehicle and that’s when the suspect – later identified as Campos – fired nine rounds into their pickup truck, court records state.

On Dec. 28, the victims called police to report seeing the man who had shot at them in October. Police went into the same bar and took Campos into custody.

Campos, records state, told police he knew he was being taken into custody for the shooting. He was arrested on state charges of shooting into an occupied vehicle.

After his arrest, investigators learn that he illegally entered the U.S. on Aug. 4, 2012, and was granted a voluntary return to Mexico.

The investigation showed that he last entered the U.S. in December 2016 on a temporary visa as an agriculture worker, which was valid until 2017.

• Abraham Lopez-Ramirez, 48, of Mexico, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation.

In January, ICE officials learned Lopez was being held in the Cullman County Jail on charges of leaving the scene of an accident and failure/refusal to display insurance.

Lopez was first arrested in Cullman County on Feb. 18, 2010, for a hit-and-run accident, DUI and driving without insurance. He was convicted of a Class C felony and sentenced to five years in prison. He was also ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution.

In 2011, an immigration judge served Lopez with a removal order upon his release.

“There currently are no records or documents that would allow Lopez to remain or live in the U.S., documents state.

Additionally, Escalona said, six other people have been recently sentenced to prison or convicted on federal immigration-related charges in northern Alabama:

• Juan Manuel Salas-Sanchez, 43, of Mexico, was sentenced to 135 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being an alien in possession of a firearm.

• Marvin Ernesto Clemente, 38, of El Salvador, was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to illegal re-entry after deportation.

• Raul Edgardo Jimenez-Cruz, 38, of Honduras, was sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and illegal reentry after deportation.

• Jesus Daniel Bibiano-Ruiz, 28, of Mexico, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to being an alien in possession of a firearm.

• Alvaro Amezcua-Gonzalez, 48, of Mexico, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to being an alien in possession of a firearm.

• Clemente Aguilera-Castaneda, 55, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 18, 2025.

“The charges and sentences announced today highlight the importance of pursuing criminals who violate our nation’s immigration laws and threaten public safety,” said Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta, which covers Alabama and Georgia. “HSI and our partners remain steadfast in identifying, arresting, and prosecuting illegal aliens who engage in criminal activity, unlawfully possess firearms or commit violence across our communities.”