Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
Jesus Franco spent much of his adult life on the wrong side of the law.
He was charged with his first drunken-driving count when he was 18 years old. His second DUI charge came this spring and, after pleading no contest, Franco was sentenced to 21 days in jail in November. He served 30 days in 2005 for disorderly conduct.
But Franco’s story ended early Saturday morning, when he died in a used-car lot from a gunshot wound he received while he allegedly burglarized a south Omaha business. He was 23 years old.
Police said the incident began around 4:30 Saturday morning, when they were called to Bazar Latino at 4324 S. 24th St. to investigate a burglary in progress.
Franco allegedly broke through the store’s glass front door, police said, which alerted its owner. When the owner went to check on the noise, police said, Franco appeared from one of the aisles with his arm extended as though he had a weapon.
The business owner shot at him and hit him once. A struggle ensued, and police said Franco fled from the business.
Video surveillance at a nearby car lot saw the rest. Franco walked into the lot around 4:23 a.m., leaned against a Cadillac, then moved to the southwest corner of the lot where he crouched behind a Nissan. Police found his body nearly half an hour later.
Several people at the Franco family’s residence declined to comment Sunday evening.
“We’re not going to discuss these things at this time,” said one man at the house, who did not give his name.
Don Kleine, the Douglas County attorney, could not be reached for comment about whether charges would be filed against the store’s owner. The store’s owner also couldn’t be reached for comment.
Contact the writer:
444-1068, johnny.perez@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
