Man shot dead in front yard in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE - A 22-year-old Gainesville man, Jose Vargas was shot to death Sunday evening at a home on Merck Street.

Sheriff's Maj. Jeff Strickland says the shooting happened shortly after 8 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing an orange pick-up truck flee the scene shortly after the incident.

Investigators say minutes after the shooting a Gainesville police officer spotted an orange pick-up truck traveling south on Atlanta Highway. The officer stopped the truck and took the driver, Hugo M. Tepanca, 29, into custody and turned him over to sheriff's investigators for questioning.

The suspect was booked in the Hall County Detention Center.

Strickland says both men are illegal immigrants and the shooting followed an earlier altcation