Tyler man arrested for suspected gang-related murder

SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man is behind bars on a murder charge for a Smith County shooting that left two Hispanic men dead last week. According to our news partner KETK, Ramiro Ortiz, 34, was booked Friday, July 3 for the deaths of Justino Rosales-Betancourt, 32, and Jose Betancourt, 35. He is being held on a $1.5 million bond. The shooting happened June 29 on Hwy 110 north. At the beginning of the investigation, Sheriff Larry Smith said that it was suspected the men “had a relationship and… it’s believed to be gang-related.” A third man, 20-year-old Saul Morado, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital by a private car. A motive for the shooting has still not been made clear by investigators. Officials from several agencies are involved in the investigation, including Homeland Security.