How is a 14-year-old accused of a triple murder in Garland on the run for five months?

GARLAND, Texas. Policemen memorize places based on cases.

They recognize the street because of the accident or the neighborhood because of the burglary.

They know the Texaco gas station in Garland because of the mystery – a maddening murder mystery.

“It’s actually just infuriating,” admits Garland Police Detective Lucas Shoup.

He believes he knows who the killer is, but no one can find him.

And he is convinced that he is getting help from someone.

“I didn’t think a 14-year-old would be able to be away for so long. I really didn’t do it,” Shupe said.

Choupe began searching for Abel Acosta in the final days of 2021.

Police generally do not reveal the identities of juvenile suspects, but Garland police have made an exception as Abel Acosta is charged with a triple homicide.

The day after Christmas, three teenagers died at a Texaco saloon at 730 West Walnut in Garland.

RELATED: Garland police look at vague clues looking for 14-year-old triple homicide suspect

According to police, someone opened the convenience store door and fired at least 20 shots.

That same night, Shupe was promoted to lead detective.

CCTV footage captured the shooter, the truck he was driving in, and a man police said was driving.

Shupe hoped that the clear images captured by multiple cameras would help them quickly find suspects.

The driver turned himself in the day after the police released the CCTV evidence.

This is 33-year-old Richard Acosta Jr.

His son, Abel Acosta, a 14-year-old Garland police officer, identified the shooter.

He remains on the run almost five months after the crime, and Shupe doesn’t think he’s acting alone.

“In my opinion, a 14-year-old does not have the means to go offline without being heard or seen unless someone helps him,” Shupe said. “Someone knows where he is and someone helped him get there.”

Shoup agreed to return to the crime scene for an interview in the hope that renewed attention to the case would lead to more leads.

He can list every move of the driver, passenger, and that truck on the night of the murders.

Police say Richard Acosta parked in front of the store, entered and bought something, then got into his truck and reversed out of the parking lot.

RELATED: Father of 14-year-old suspect in Garland shooting of 3 teenagers charged with capital murder

“Then it stops here and stops at the end of the parking lot. They stay there for a couple of minutes,” Shoup said, pointing to the far end of the parking lot.

Shoup believes that during those few minutes the passenger was getting ready.

“It seems to me that, based on the footage we saw, steps were taken to keep his identity hidden,” Shupe said. “He put on a baseball cap, took off his shirt and put on a mask.”

Surveillance video shows the shooter squatting down as he approaches the front door of a convenience store with what police say is a .40-caliber pistol with an extended magazine.

Police say security video also shows the shooter returning to the white truck he was in, which police said was driven by Richard Acosta.

But where the teenager went is a mystery.

Abel’s father, Richard Acosta, has been charged with capital murder.

His lawyer said he didn’t know Abel had a gun with him the night he drove him to Texaco.

His lawyer also said that Acosta did not know where his son was.

“I can tell you that one day I got a tip that he was in Mexico. On the same day we are told that he is in Iowa and he is in Mississippi. All three clues come on the same day,” Shoup said.

The $10,000 reward is still on offer and anyone who contacts Garland Crime Stoppers at 972-272-8477 (TIPS) or www.garlandcrimestoppers.org may remain anonymous.

The 26-year-old police veteran knows that the faces of 17-year-old Rafael Garcia, 16-year-old Ivan Noyola and 14-year-old Xavier Gonzalez and their families will never be forgotten.

That’s why a few questions are lingering.

“Have I made any mistakes? Did I miss something?” Shupe says he’s asking himself, “What else can I do to find him?”

He’s furious, but he also has the motivation to walk around the corner of Walnut and Glenbrook one day and think of the case as closed.