Two men have been cuffed for the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old in what police say was a Soured narcotics transaction at Pearsall Park in December. Jakob Kawazoe, 26, and Angus Ockels-Talbott, 32, were netted this week after evidence surfaced through their social media and text messages leading up to the night they allegedly gunned down Juan Guerra, the San Antonio Police Department's spokesperson Ximena Alvarez noted. According to police reports, the pair were apprehended following an investigation that linked their online communications to the crime scene, KENS5.com reported.
Kawazoe, who hails from Plano area, was taken into custody on Thursday on the far north side, while Ockels-Talbott, snagged on Monday, is currently jailed with his bond set at $150,000. As reported by KENS5.com, Guerra met with the men under the pretext of selling them marijuana – a meetup that took a fatal turn after a brief intermission to draw cash from an ATM. Police stated that upon their return to Pearsall Park, the suspects fatally opened fire on Guerra.
The grim affair unfolded on the evening of Dec. 14, as detailed in an arrest warrant affidavit. Guerra, accompanied by his girlfriend, visited the park to peddle marijuana to Ockels-Talbott and Kawazoe. The suspects rolled up in a Honda Odyssey, and after a failed attempt to retrieve cash from an ATM, the group returned to the park. It was then that Guerra and Ockels-Talbott "exchanged words" before the suspects shot Guerra in the head, according to information obtained by KSAT.com. The duo fled the scene, leaving Guerra, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital the next morning.
In a revealing twist of events, messages scrutinized from Ockels-Talbott's Instagram account and phone indicated that he had planned to execute a robbery. GPS data placed both Ockels-Talbott and Kawazoe at the location of the shooting, strengthening the case against them, SAPD officials detailed. Remarkably, neither of the suspects reportedly had prior criminal records.
These developments have brought a long-awaited breakthrough in a case that has troubled the local community since last year. As this story continues to unfold, updates are being vigilantly followed and will be invariably reported to the public.
