Carjacked with a gun to his face, Army Reserve soldier stays calm

Victim glad the suspect in two carjackings has now been arrested

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio Army Reserve soldier described the moments he stared down the barrel of a gun as he was carjacked. The man police believe was holding that gun, Corey Lamar Gill, is now behind bars on two separate aggravated robbery charges.

Chris Cetera, the alleged victim, said the commands from the suspect were clear and that his military training is what most likely saved his life.

"The gun was about right here," Cetera said holding his hand about 6 inches from his face. "His finger was wrapped around the trigger, and he told me to give him the keys. OK, gave him the keys. ‘Give me your wallet.’ OK, ‘Give me your phone.’ All right. Then he got in my vehicle, took off immediately."

It happened back in October, in the middle of the night after Cetera got off a late shift at work. 

He said he parked his car right outside his apartment on Mall View Dr. on the city's Northeast Side and then ran inside to unload some things. When he came back outside, Gill was waiting for him. 

"The second I came around my car to get back in, he immediately walked up, approached me about right here, with the gun in my face," Cetera said, pointing to the spot on the street where it all happened. 

Cetera, a former Marine, is now in the Army Reserves. His training taught him how to stay calm in stressful situations and hopes he'll be an example for others. 

"Just do what they say. Let them go, then file your report and catch them at a later time. There's no point to getting hurt or killed for especially an item," he said.

Not long after he filed his police report, he was asked to identify the person who robbed him in a line-up. He pointed to Corey Lamar Gill. 

Days later he heard some good news. 

"I was told by another detective they caught the same suspect robbing someone else, and they found my military ID, my security guard card, my Social Security card, and my driver's license at the location," Cetera said.  

Corey Gill was charged with aggravated robbery for both carjackings.

Cetera said as detectives focused on finding the suspect, it took a while to file his car as stolen. Though he's losing hope investigators will find his car, they told him they're still looking for it.


About the Author:

Courtney Friedman anchors KSAT’s weekend evening shows and reports during the week. Her ongoing Loving in Fear series confronts Bexar County’s domestic violence epidemic. She joined KSAT in 2014 and is proud to call the SA and South Texas community home. She came to San Antonio from KYTX CBS 19 in Tyler, where she also anchored & reported.