SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police linked a suspect in two separate, random shootings in late August to a murder that happened months earlier, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Jose A. Rodriguez-Moreno, 36, faces a murder charge in the June 27 shooting of Adam Hernandez, Jr., records with the Bexar County Jail show.
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Police said that a witness found Hernandez passed out on the sidewalk in the 1900 block of E. Southcross Blvd., near Groos Street on the Southeast Side, and notified a nearby officer.
The officer approached the man and discovered that he had been shot multiple times in his upper body, hand and head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The witness said that they didn’t see the shooting but did notice a man wearing dark clothing and a green backpack running westbound on Southcross.
Later that day, as investigators processed the scene, someone fired upon police, detectives, a CSI civilian and the medical examiner. The affidavit states that the incident led to a large police presence, but no one was apprehended.
Two months later, Rodriguez-Moreno was arrested following a shooting that took place just blocks from where Hernandez was found dead, police said.
In that incident, a man later identified as Rodriguez-Moreno shot at a family in a vehicle as they were traveling on Monticello Court. The driver was struck in his shoulder but was able to drive to a nearby H-E-B to call for help.
His wife and his 1-year-old child were also in the vehicle but were not injured.
As officers searched for the shooter, a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed Rodriguez-Moreno running down the street and began chasing him. Rodriguez-Moreno was eventually caught in the backyard of a home and taken into custody.
Rodriguez-Moreno admitted that he ran from deputies because he had a 9mm handgun, though he discarded it while evading arrest, the affidavit states.
Investigators said they discovered the shell casings matched a third shooting on Aug. 25 shooting where Rodriguez-Moreno allegedly shot at a man in the 3600 block of S. Pine St. The man was walking home from a party when he was suddenly shot from behind, an arrest warrant affidavit states.
Following those two shootings in August, Rodriguez-Moreno was jailed on four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, booking records show. The affidavits for either shooting did not reveal a motive.
Police said that upon further investigation, shell casings found at the murder scene came from a Ruger rifle that Rodriguez-Moreno was in possession of.
Investigators also spoke to the suspect’s family and a close friend. A relative told officers that the suspect arrived at his home months prior and “was acting scared.”
When another person asked him why he allegedly ran away from the murder scene, Rodriguez-Moreno responded with a statement similar to, “You know. You know why,” the affidavit states.
The affidavit did not say a motive for the fatal shooting.
Records show a warrant for his arrest on the murder charge was issued on Wednesday. He was already in jail on the previous charges.
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