BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County sheriff’s deputies arrested a suspect Thursday in connection with a March 2024 homicide.
Jonathan Arriola, 20, has been charged in connection with a deadly shooting at an illegal party in Southwest Bexar County.
Sheriff Javier Salazar announced Arriola’s arrest during a Thursday evening news conference. Arriola has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but Salazar also said the suspect could face additional charges.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting call around 4 a.m. on March 9 in the 8200 block of Old Pearsall Road.
Arriola, who Salazar said was intoxicated at the time of the shooting, got into a fight at the party and was eventually thrown out of the venue.
Before hopping into a vehicle with four other people and leaving the venue grounds, Salazar said Arriola pulled out a pistol and fired multiple random rounds at the party venue.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Arriola’s pistol had a switch that converted the weapon from semi-automatic into a machine gun.
When they arrived, deputies found two people shot: a 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man.
The woman, who was later identified as Desirae Rivera, was pronounced dead at the scene. The 29-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office said Rivera died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Salazar said authorities caught up with Arriola, who worked in construction at the SpaceX site in Brownsville, on Thursday.
BCSO said there could be more suspects involved in this case.
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