The Odessa Police Department has issued capital murder charges to two suspects believed to be involved in a fatal overnight shooting on Feb. 1.
Police were initially called to the shooting around 12:45 a.m. Thursday in the 2200 block of Richmond Street, where they found the victim, 26-year-old Ryan Stebbins, shot in the chest. Stebbins was taken to Medical Center Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Johnny Ray Aguirre and Michael Tarin Silvas were both charged by OPD Saturday with capital murder, a capital felony, an OPD press release stated.
OPD Spokesman Steve LeSueur said OPD believes Silvas and Aguirre were both involved in the shooting. The intent was to steal Stebbins’ vehicle, and Aguirre had reportedly dropped off Silvas at the location, where he shot Stebbins and stole his vehicle.
The stolen vehicle was later recovered by OPD, abandoned, around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the 4300 block of Westcliff Road.
Aguirre had already been placed in custody on charges related to a different stolen vehicle and evading arrest following a high-speed chase Thursday morning, and was considered a person of interest in the homicide investigation prior to the charge.
Silvas was charged Saturday after he was found by OPD in Crane County and was arrested with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Crane Police Department and the Crane County Sheriff’s Office.
Jail records show Silvas was taken to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center Saturday, and Aguirre has been at the ECLEC since Thursday. No bonds have been set for either capital murder charge.
Stebbins had just moved to Odessa from Idaho a few months ago to begin working with his brother before he was fatally shot during the carjacking.
“He was the life of the party, always witty, funny and happy,” Stebbins’ cousin said. “I want people to remember Ryan for the great, kind, witty, funny, loving guy he was.”
