Judge Aida Meléndez Juarbe of the Bayamón Court found probable cause Thursday to arrest a man for the murder of two people on January 17 outside the business "El Toabajeño" on Luis Muñoz Rivera Street in Toa Baja, police reported. Prosecutor Carlos Rodríguez filed two counts of first-degree murder, one count of firing a firearm without a license, and one count of discharging a weapon in a public place against Rubiel González Feliciano, 33, a resident of Dorado. The judge set bail at $130,000, which he could not post, and he was sent to the Bayamón Regional Jail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 24.
According to the police investigation, a 911 call at 6:38 p.m. alerted authorities to gunfire at the scene. Responding officers found the body of Héctor Luis Pérez Rivera, 53, with multiple gunshot wounds. Also wounded at the scene was Erick Yamil Mercado Soto, 38, who later died while receiving medical care.
The investigation indicates the suspect allegedly argued with Mercado Soto, which escalated into a physical altercation between the two men; during the struggle several shots were fired, killing both victims. Police noted Pérez Rivera had previously been prosecuted for murder.