(Photos: McAllen Lodge 1110 Facebook page)
by Christopher Hodapp
Police in McAllen, Texas have arrested a man in connection with the Monday night shooting death of Brother Robert Wise outside of the Masonic hall of McAllen Lodge No. 1110. Julio Diaz, 35, is now in police custody after being arrested Tuesday for murder.
Julio Diaz, 35, arrested for murder
(Photo: McAllen Police Department)
(Photo: McAllen Police Department)
According to a press release from the local police department, officers responded to a call from a witness at 9:46PM Monday night from outside the lodge, who reported hearing "a loud pop, then someone moaning in pain." When police arrived, they found Brother Wise on the ground, wounded by gunfire. Emergency Medical Services immediately rushed him to a local hospital, where he later died.
According to several sources, Diaz had apparently recorded and uploaded a video of his crime online. It has since been removed.
When he was arrested and questioned this morning, sources familiar with the investigation told me that Diaz believes Masons are "devil worshiping Illuminatists." A Facebook commenter said Diaz had previously posted anti-Masonic comments on social media, claiming the lodge "had put a curse on him."
Ever since the COVID lockdowns, there has been an alarming increase throughout the U.S. and Canada in incidents of vandalism and arson against Masonic halls by admitted paranoid anti-Masonic extremists and conspiracists. In my own casual monitoring of comments posted on anti-social media and news sites (along with many comments to this site that I will not permit to appear), anti-Masonic sentiments online seem to be on the rise, with a greater sense of distrust and hate directed at the fraternity. However, this is the first murder of one of our members I've seen in a very long time. This tragedy is one too many, and I pray it will be the only one.
Obviously, there is a danger in drawing undo attention to these stories, as it could encourage lunatics to carry out their own attacks. But I believe the risk is outweighed by the vital urgency for us all to be extremely cautious regarding security in and around our buildings. That means monitored surveillance cameras, locked outer doors during events, and vigilant Tylers who probably shouldn't be on the lodge room side of the door during meetings, I'm sad to say.
Further, law enforcement officials need to be informed by us whenever there are threats or acts of vandalism and violence directed at us – police departments and individual officers can't be automatically expected to realize that anti-Masonic hatred is a very real syndrome lurking out in the general population.
Even so, it's impossible to stop a determined madman when he's got committing terrorism on his mind. Like my Texas brethren, I pray for Brother Robert's wife and children with all my heart, and sincerely hope never to post any more stories like this one ever again.
*If the lodge sounds familiar to non-Texas Masons, McAllen Lodge 1110 was chartered in 1916 and is the Mother Lodge of Masonic scholar and author Arturo De Hoyos.
This story will be updated.
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