The San Marcos Police Department is on the hunt for an additional suspect and a witness following a fatal altercation in Downtown San Marcos, as CBS Austin reported. A downtown dispute turned deadly, leaving two individuals dead, Anthony Barrera, 24, and Alek Pacheco, 20, in the early hours of Saturday; officers responded to a distress call at around 1:30 a.m. and discovered the two victims, neither of whom is believed to be a Texas State University student.
Amidst the chaos of the event that originated from a confrontation between a woman's date and her husband, a third party, now identified as 19-year-old Avery Saul Bowman, is being sought by police, and they are requesting the public's assistance. According to the authorities, a fist fight that ignited outside a bar escalated when Bowman allegedly snatched a chain from Barrera's neck, prompting Barrera to cease fighting with the husband and pursue Bowman, in the course of which approximately eight rounds were fired from a handgun, hitting the victims. CBS Austin's coverage indicates that Bowman could face a capital murder charge in relation to the incident. 19-year-old Jermiah Jayden Tobias has been arrested on two counts of capital murder and one of aggravated assault, with his bond set at a striking $1,650,000.
The investigation is also focused on locating a witness thought to have captured the incident on video, as police sift through the aftermath of the tragedy, seeking to piece together the truth from fragments and witness accounts, according to CBS Austin. Meanwhile, a community is rattled and a family is bereft, Sandra Gonzales, Pacheco's mother, in a heartrending account to KVUE, lamented, "He was everything that any mother could have. Very loving support, fun. There's a lot of times that we just joke around. But yes, he loved his family a lot," she said, grappling with not just the loss, but the digital echo of the moment captured and replayed, confessing, "I wish he would have just walked away."
The narrative of the night's events is still unfolding, and alongside the official search for Bowman, Gonzales yearns for justice and solace amidst unspeakable grief, lamenting to KVUE, "Just seeing him gone, it's really taken it hard on me. My heart hurts," as the investigation presses on, San Marcos law enforcement is urging anyone with information on the whereabouts of Bowman or the witness to step forward and contact them at 512-753-2108.
