Man thought to have been 'grazed' by stray bullet in West Side shooting dies

3 men charged with aggravated assault in connection with shooting

SAN ANTONIO – A 69-year-old man initially thought to have been grazed by a bullet in a shooting that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy has died, his family told KSAT-12 on Sunday.

Despite initial reports from law enforcement, Benito Gallegos was in a coma with a bullet lodged in the back of his head and was on life support for several days following the shooting. Gallegos was taken off life support on Friday and died Sunday morning, they said.

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The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Gallegos’s death, though the cause and manner of his death had not yet been determined.

READ THE ORIGINAL REPORT: Second victim in deadly West Side shooting in worse condition than originally reported

Gallegos and Angel Gebara, 14, were hit by a stray bullets on Feb. 3 after three men opened fire on an unknown man who allegedly made threatening gestures toward them. 

Gebara was hit in the head while at a home in the 200 block of Saint Christopher Walk and died shortly after the shooting. Gallegos, police said, was grazed in the forehead. 

RELATED: 14-year-old West Side shooting victim dies; arrest documents shed new light 

His family told KSAT-12 that he had arrived at University Hospital in a firetruck, not an ambulance, and he was apparently conscious and talking as if nothing had happened. The truth became evident though, they said, after he collapsed at the hospital.

Police collected more than 40 spent shell casings and arrested the three men they say pulled the trigger of a gun at some point during the incident.

Richard Montez, Juan Martinez and Andres Martinez were all originally arrested and charged on Feb. 4 with aggravated assault. It was not immediately clear Sunday what charges they might now face now that both Gebara and Gallegos have died.


About the Authors:

Garrett Brnger is a reporter with KSAT 12.