SAN ANTONO – An accidental shooting at a child’s birthday party led to the arrests of two teenagers in connection with a pair of shootings near the gates of JBSA-Lackland in August.
Joseph Jimenez, 19, and Ricardo Samaniego,18, were arrested on deadly conduct with a firearm charge, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference Wednesday at Public Safety Headquarters.
Salazar said that on the evening of Aug. 17, several people were playing with a gun at a party in the 1500 block of Marbach Oaks that Jimenez and Samaniego attended. At some point the gun went off, wounding Samaniego, who was holding a baby.
Evidence at the scene of the party matched those found at the scene of the shootings at the military installation, Salazar said.
“We were able to positively link a shell casing from that shooting to a hit on the case that SAPD is now handling for their shooting at JBSA,” Salazar said.
Jimenez and another teen fled the scene with the gun, which had an illegal switch that converts the firearm from a semiautomatic to an automatic weapon. Salazar said the gun is what Jimenez used to fire “negligently” at a field near JBSA-Lackland.
“Video evidence was found indicating Jimenez and Samaniego acted together to drive the stolen car around and fire multiple rounds into the direction of multiple houses in a field by JBSA,” McManus said.
Jimenez later admitted to the shooting and faces three counts of deadly conduct with a firearm. Samaniego faces two counts of the same charge, which is a third-degree felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Federal charges are also possible due to the illegal switch found on the gun officials said was used in the shooting.
In addition to SAPD and BCSO, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
You can watch the news conference below: