NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Three people were injured in a shooting in downtown New Braunfels early Sunday morning, according to a city press release.
Josiah Anthony Arevalo was arrested, the New Braunfels Police Department said, after he allegedly fired several shots at two men with whom he was involved in a physical altercation and a woman.
Police said two victims, a 25-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, were taken to a hospital in Kyle after being shot in the 100 block of North Seguin Avenue. A 27-year-old man was taken to a San Antonio hospital.
The release said all three are now in “stable condition.”
While police said the two men were involved in an altercation with Arevalo, they believe the woman was an uninvolved bystander and not believed to be the intended target of the gunfire.
After the physical altercation, police said Arevalo entered a vehicle. He found the men walking downtown, at which point he fired the shots from a handgun while driving away from the scene.
The release said officers located Arevalo, who then turned himself in without further incident. He was booked into the Comal County Jail on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Arevalo may face additional charges, the release said, and the investigation remains ongoing.
New Braunfels residents say violence is rare, hope for proactive solutions
Residents told KSAT they were shocked to hear about the violence that took place the night prior, saying that it is rare for New Braunfels.
“It’s the first time that I’ve ever heard of a shooting down here,” Kobie Olson said. “I’m actually born and raised here. I’ve never heard anything like that. It’s kind of frightening to know that that’s happening in my community.”
While some residents said that gun violence will always exist, Brooke Barter said she hopes that leaders will be proactive in deterring it.
“Violence is always gonna be prevalent in the world that we live in,” Barter said, “and we just kind of have to, unfortunately, deal with it until something greater is done at a higher level.
“Honestly, I think this is something New Braunfels is gonna have to learn to deal with,” Barter continued. “It just always seems further away until it happens in your community.”
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