SAN ANTONIO – An 18-year-old man was arrested Thursday for a shooting in September that killed a 61-year-old man.
Tristan Avery Lerma is charged with murder in the shooting death of Michael Molina.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Lerma and an unnamed juvenile suspect are accused of the crime that happened on the evening of Aug. 30, in the 3300 block of Bob Billa Street.
Molina’s grandson told investigators that he was the intended target.
The grandson told police that he saw two people get out of a vehicle and fire shots. He said he believed he was their intended target because he was involved in a previous homicide investigation. Molina heard the gunfire and went outside and was shot multiple times.
The grandson was not injured and neither was the victim’s wife and children who were inside the home. But, the family’s dog was hit by gunfire and killed. Molina died a week later from his injuries.
During the shooting, a neighbor returned fire and hit the suspects’ vehicle. Four minutes later, a juvenile from the suspects’ vehicle was dropped off at an urgent care clinic with a gunshot wound.
According to the affidavit, detectives were able to identify Lerma as a suspect because of an interview with the wounded teen’s mother as well as surveillance video and video posted to social media.
A video posted on Instagram showed someone in the driver’s seat of a 2017 Subaru Outback smoking a blunt with a black handgun tucked under his right leg. Data showed it was posted from an urgent care facility at the same time a juvenile suspect was taken and dropped off with a gunshot wound four minutes after the shooting.
Lerma also messaged a friend about the shooting.
He has been charged with eight crimes this year and has been in and out of jail, court records show. His current charges include murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest and deadly conduct.
Lerma was released from jail last week on bond for a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle and was arrested a few days later on the murder charge and other charges stemming from incidents in August and October.
His current bonds are set at $450,000.
A second suspect in the shooting was not named in the affidavit because he is a minor.