The MS-13 gang member who ruthlessly gunned down his ex-girlfriend in front of their 3-year-old daughter was an illegal immigrant who’d been deported 10 times, according to federal authorities.
But Herbert Nixon Flores — who was caught on camera killing Karen Ruiz last week — was released from custody following a Sept. 7 domestic-violence bust due to California’s “dangerous sanctuary policy” toward illegal immigrants, according to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Flores, 46, went on the run following the Wednesday murder, and fatally shot himself Saturday while being chased by cops in Irving, Texas.
“This horrific act of violence that has now claimed two lives and left a child without her mother might have been avoided if the suspect had been handed over to our officers months ago,” said Andre Quinones, acting director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE’s Los Angeles field office.
“Cases like this demonstrate how critical it is for state and federal law enforcement agencies to work together and focus all available resources against those who break the law.”
ICE said the Los Angeles Police Department “chose not to honor” an immigration detainer lodged a day after Flores’ September arrest “due to California’s dangerous sanctuary policy.”
“Like so many other tragedies, this case illustrates the threat posed by the egregious and often recidivist criminal offenders our agency identifies, targets, and seeks to apprehend and remove,” Quinones said Monday.
Quinones also called the incident “another example of how California’s sanctuary policies lead to violence against innocent victims while protecting illegal aliens who have no authority to be in our country.”
A home security camera recorded Flores, a native of El Salvador and member of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang, hopping out of a vehicle and opening fire on Ruiz while she was dropping off their daughter at a baby-sitter’s house in LA’s Pacoima neighborhood.
Ruiz, 35, had recently obtained a restraining order against Flores over allegations he’d been stalking and threatening her for months.
Flores’ lengthy criminal history included carrying a concealed weapon, trespassing, burglary, possession and transportation of a controlled substance and other offenses, according to ICE.
In a statement, the LAPD said, “The unlawful detainer is not a federal arrest warrant and does not allow us the authority as local law enforcement to hold a person beyond bail. We do honor all federal warrants issued by federal magistrates.”
“However, in the absence of court reviewed process, those detainers are unconstitutional. As a department, we are not honoring them as they are not honored in the state of California,” the statement added.
