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Fugitive Wanted For 1997 Montgomery County Shooting Captured After 27 Years On The Run: Police

A fugitive who spent nearly three decades on the run after a 1997 shooting in Silver Spring has been captured in El Salvador and returned to Montgomery County to face charges.

Jose Mauricio Rivera

Jose Mauricio Rivera

Photo Credit: Montgomery County Department of Police

Jose Mauricio Rivera, 58, was extradited to Maryland on Thursday, Dec. 5, after being arrested by Salvadoran authorities in April 2023. He is charged with second-degree attempted murder and two counts of first-degree assault, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.

Rivera is accused of shooting his estranged wife multiple times on Oct. 9, 1997, in the elevator of her apartment building in the 8100 block of Eastern Avenue. The attack occurred after the victim had separated from Rivera and obtained a restraining order against him following allegations of abuse, police said.

Investigators determined Rivera fled the country after the shooting, prompting an Interpol Red Notice to be issued. Salvadoran authorities located and arrested Rivera in 2023, and he remained in custody there until his extradition.

Rivera is currently being held at the Central Processing Unit in Montgomery County, awaiting a bond hearing.

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