A fatal backyard shooting on San Antonio's West Side ended with a 36-year-old man dead and his housemate accused of murder, according to police. Officers were called to the 900 block of South San Augustine around 2:45 p.m. on June 19, where they found a 36-year-old man unresponsive in the backyard and pronounced him dead at the scene. A man who lived at the home later admitted to pulling the trigger and was arrested on a murder charge, investigators said.
According to WOAI, the victim was identified as 36-year-old David Alai Rodriguez Cabrera and the suspect as 36-year-old Julio Castro. Witnesses told investigators they saw Castro leave the residence after gunshots rang out, and surveillance footage reportedly showed the two men together in the backyard shortly before the shooting. An arrest affidavit reviewed by the station states that officers recovered multiple .357-caliber shell casings and a Glock Model 31 handgun at the scene and that Castro was taken into custody on June 20 and charged with murder.
Affidavit account
The day after the shooting, Castro reportedly flagged down officers and, according to the affidavit, admitted he had shot Cabrera while he was "on drugs." The document quotes Castro as saying he "wanted to show Cabrera how his gun shoots. He leaned back, and one shot went off, striking Cabrera." Castro also told investigators that he lived with the victim and that the two had argued before the gunfire, though he said he could not remember what the dispute was about, according to WOAI.
Weapon recovered
The Glock Model 31 is factory chambered for the .357 SIG cartridge, a bottlenecked round used in some semi-automatic pistols, according to Glock's buyer's guide. That setup aligns with the .357-caliber shell casings investigators reported finding in the yard and helps explain why a Glock 31 is listed in the affidavit as the handgun recovered by police.
Legal posture
Castro was arrested on June 20 and booked on a single count of murder, and the case remains under active investigation. Under Texas law, murder is treated as a first-degree felony, carrying a potential sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Texas Penal Code §19.02. The case will proceed through the Bexar County court system as detectives continue to collect evidence and interview witnesses.
Homicide detectives with the San Antonio Police Department are leading the investigation and have not publicly identified a motive beyond what is laid out in the affidavit. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact SAPD's tip line or the department's homicide unit.
