A man was fatally shot in an alleged car burglary attempt near the University of Texas at San Antonio early this morning. San Antonio Police responded to a call around 2:23 a.m. on the 13900 block of Babcock Road, finding a man with gunshot wounds near student housing known as The Reserve San Antonio; the man later succumbed to his injuries, as reported by KENS 5.
According to police statements, the victim was shot while apparently attempting to break into a vehicle, it's not clear if the vehicle was owned by the individual who fired the shots, the shooter provided a statement to the officials on the scene and the case is still being investigated. In a separate incident, a man identified as Baltazar Castaneda, 39, has been arrested for the alleged murder and arson attack on his neighbor; allegedly Castaneda got physical with Richard Amesquita on Amesquita's front patio, subsequently killing him and setting the house ablaze with the body inside.
The violent altercation and the subsequent fire on February 27 were recorded on a school's CCTV across from the victim's residence, footage that also displayed Castaneda disposing of his clothes in the fire, as stated by FOX San Antonio. Investigators recovered charred clothing from the scene which matched what Castaneda was seen wearing on the security cameras; a witness came forward contributing to Castaneda's identification via the CCTV footage.
Following the grim discovery and testimonial evidence, Castaneda was detained now facing a bond set at $250,000 while staying behind bars at Bexar County Jail where the full extent of his alleged crimes are coming to light, both of these cases highlight a pattern of violence that has law enforcement intensifying their investigative efforts in San Antonio’s West Side are both crimes remain under investigation as more details are expected to come forward.
