Carlos Javier Blanco Fernandez, 38, had arrived in Washington, D.C. by bus from Texas in September 2023 and was among a group of refugees who gathered near shelters around the 2200 block of New York Avenue NE. On the evening of November 16, 2023, at about 5:20 p.m., he was at an Exxon gas station in that area working on his car when a van pulled up and someone inside opened fire. Fernandez was shot, taken to a nearby hospital, and later died of his injuries.

The Metropolitan Police Department investigated and identified a suspect. On December 4, 2023, members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force located and arrested 23-year-old Eliexander Lopez-Burgos in Glendale, Colorado. Lopez-Burgos was extradited to Washington, D.C., and on January 4, 2024, he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Fernandez’s death. The killing raised concerns about safety for migrants and prompted calls for increased monitoring in the neighborhood.

Did anyone in the area know Fernandez or see the van that evening and can provide more detail?