Austin law enforcement agencies have shed light on a string of crimes tied to one individual, 26-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Gomez, pinpointing him as the primary suspect in various violent occurrences, including a December murder and a shooting on the University of Texas campus. The joint investigation by the Austin Police Department (APD) and University of Texas Police Department (UTPD), which culminated in Rodriguez-Gomez's arrest on March 13, has highlighted the thorough approach and cooperation between the two forces, leveraging forensic and surveillance technologies.
Rodriguez-Gomez is facing a first-degree murder charge for the shooting of 34-year-old Mario Damian-Rayas, found dead inside his vehicle on December 21, last year. Beyond this, the moored boat to a slew of his criminal acts includes a random shooting event at the UT campus and an aggravated assault, each linked through ballistics evidence, as reported by KXAN. The APD and UTPD joined hands to announce these connections during a news conference.
Evidence from the incidents, examined through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), provided the forensic thread that wove these offenses together. While no injuries were incurred during the July 13 incident at the UT campus, surveillance captured Rodriguez-Gomez discharging a firearm on campus grounds. The arresting detail in this case was the discovery of the same clothing worn by the suspect during the UT campus incident tucked away at Rodriguez-Gomez's residence, along with an additional firearm—though the gun used on campus has yet to be recovered.
As shared with CBS Austin, student reactions to the surveillance footage and successful arrest are a mixture of shock and relief, with one sophomore expressing, "I’m glad that no one got hurt, and, you know, I’m glad they caught the guy." Such sentiments underscore the broader sense of security the diligent work of law enforcement engenders within the academic community. Meanwhile, Rodriguez-Gomez remains detained with a bond set at $1,345,000 and with additional charges pending, while the gun used in the December murder remains at large.
Distributed surveillance images via Capital Area Crime Stoppers were instrumental in identifying Rodriguez-Gomez, a feat that APD Detective Israel Pina remarked as the "first and best lead on a suspect," citing the crucial nature of video and image evidence. The suspect also has a charged sheet polarized by two outstanding warrants for deadly conduct from the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office and faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon related to the UT campus incident.
