Houston and League City have become the stages for two unrelated shootings that left young men catastrophically wounded by people they knew - one by an uncle, the other while aiding a friend in a domestic situation, as per reports.
Houston's Joe Garcia, 25, miraculously survived being shot in the head three times by his uncle, 26-year-old Mario Uriostegui, amid what is described as a business disagreement gone violently awry, according to FOX 26 Houston; Uriostegui, now out on a $200,000 bond and set for a court date in February, reportedly shot into the car as Garcia and another person were driving away, also discharging rounds into a home nearly hitting a child. "This is just truly a miracle like right before the holidays," Garcia's sister, Jasmine, said, her words harboring a mix of relief and dismay.
Meanwhile, over in League City, a 22-year-old unnamed man took a bullet to the back of his head while helping a woman retrieve items from her ex-boyfriend's apartment; the ex, identified as 26-year-old Irkan Notta, grew irate and fired upon the good Samaritan, as well as into other vehicles involved in the move, according to ABC13. The victim, though grazed in what must be deemed a grotesque twist of fortune, remained conscious and communicative.
Both assailants face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with Uriostegui additionally absorbing charges of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury and deadly conduct; Uriostegui's bond was twice the amount of Notta's, whose was set at $100,000, drawing attention to the stark disparities not just between their alleged crimes and their consequences, but between the perceived value of bond amounts and the safety of the community at large, "He's going to be able to be home for the holidays and spend Christmas with his family, and my brother is still in the hospital fighting for his life. It's not fair," Garcia's sister Jasmine told FOX 26.
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