Suspect in December shooting apprehended, charged with first-degree murder: APD
AUSTIN, Texas - The suspect in a December fatal shooting in Southeast Austin was apprehended last week in Manor, says the Austin Police Department.
What we know:
26-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Gomez has been charged with first-degree murder in the December 2024 death of 34-year-old Mario Damian-Rayas.
Juan Rodriguez-Gomez (Austin Police Department)
On Feb. 16, a warrant was issued for his arrest and on March 13, he was apprehended by US Marshals and members of Austin police's Tactical Intelligence, Air1, K9, and Crime Gun Intelligence units, in Manor.
Rodriguez-Gomez is charged with the murder and two warrants for deadly conduct out of Bastrop County.
The backstory:
On Dec. 21, Austin police received a call about gunshots in the area of E Oltorf Street and S Pleasant Valley Road in Southeast Austin.
APD responded at 9:25 p.m. to the Chevy Chase apartments on Huntwick Drive off Wickersham Lane and E. Oltorf.
SE Austin homicide investigation
APD is investigating the late night homicide of a man at a Southeast Austin apartment complex.
There, they found an unresponsive man in his 30s, later identified as Damian-Rayas, sitting in the front seat of a vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at 9:32 p.m.
The investigation revealed he had been shot in the vehicle by a suspect who fled the area.
Damian-Rayas's death was Austin's 70th homicide of 2024, says APD.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Austin Police Department.