SAN ANTONIO – A 19-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after San Antonio police said he gunned down two teens on the West Side, killing one of them, earlier this year.
Abel Riojas is charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was escorted by police to the Bexar County Jail on Wednesday afternoon.
The charges stem from an incident on April 1 in the 5600 block of Culebra Road.
Officers were called to the area for a shooting and found two teens had been shot and injured at the scene.
Riojas was wearing a mask when he confronted the teens, pulled a handgun and shot at them, according to SAPD. His motive is unknown, but police said he knew one of the victims.
One victim, a 16-year-old, was shot in the head and died at the scene, police said. Another teen, a 17-year-old, was shot in the arm. He also had an AR-15 rifle stowed in his pants, according to SAPD.
After being shot, the second victim chased Riojas on foot, but dropped the long gun. Riojas then turned around and picked up the rifle, in addition to having his handgun, police said.
Riojas ran to a nearby apartment and banged on the door, but the occupants inside recognized him with his mask pulled up and forced him to leave.
He then went to his vehicle in the parking lot but it wouldn’t start, so he ran from the scene on foot.
Detectives questioned Riojas not long after the incident, and he admitted to having been at the apartment complex at the time of the incident, but said he was dropping off a friend. He told police his vehicle wouldn’t start so he walked home.
Riojas told police he heard gunshots in the area, but went home and went to bed, officials said.
After police reviewed Riojas’ phone records, they found he had made several calls after the shooting and he was at another location other than his home.
Based on the investigation’s findings, Riojas was arrested without incident.
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