Last weekend's deadly shooting at a San Antonio landscaping business that resulted in the loss of three lives was perpetrated by a man who U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has now confirmed was a Honduran migrant in the United States illegally. The suspect, 21-year-old Jose David Hernandez Galo, opened fire on his co-workers at Mission Landscape Supplies on the morning of Nov. 8, before taking his own life, as reported by Fox San Antonio. The victims of this tragic event have been identified as Selvin Chacon, 48, Sergio Chacon, 38, and Karen Bautista, 24, all of whom were from Honduras.
Hernandez Galo and his family were said to have illegally crossed into the United States on April 16, 2019. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested them upon entry and issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge—a process seemingly to have been left unfulfilled, with his family not reporting in to ICE since July 2022. This lapse, as ICE has emphasized, could potentially have been to prevent such a senseless act from occurring. An ongoing federal initiative aims to encourage voluntary self-deportation, offering migrants $1,000 and a free flight for those who choose to self-deport through a government mobile app, a striking detail shared by Fox San Antonio.
The shooting took place early Saturday morning at the 4400 block of Stahl Road near O'Connor Road, where Hernandez Galo was employed. According to statements by San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, after arriving at the business, Hernandez Galo began shooting, leading employees to flee and trying to find cover while a lockdown was imposed on the nearby areas. A manhunt ensued, ending with Hernandez Galo being found deceased with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a report by KENS 5.
In response to this tragedy, a former co-worker has set up a GoFundMe to help support the families of the victims who have left behind children. As investigations continue to identify the motive behind the targeted shooting, ICE's statement harshly criticized the past administration's policies that did not consider Hernandez Galo or his family a priority for deportation, a sentiment echoed by KENS 5.
