SAPD: Suspect kidnapped 3 people he thought played role in sister’s death, killed 1

Witness escaped when gun malfunctioned, ran screaming into neighborhood

SAN ANTONIO – A man has been arrested on a capital murder charge after San Antonio police say he and another man fatally shot a woman who he believed played a role in his sister’s overdose.

Rogelio Sanchez, 30, has been charged with capital murder, according to online records with the Bexar County Jail.

His arrest affidavit details a series of events that led up to the fatal shooting of the woman, 37, in the early hours of July 5.

The affidavit states the woman and two other male victims were approached by two suspects on July 4 in the 100 block of Omaha St., just east of downtown.

The men “intimidated the three victims” and “demanded” they get into their white four-door vehicle, the affidavit states.

The suspects “questioned the victims regarding the overdose of a woman” that happened on June 30. Investigators said the family of the woman who overdosed believed there was foul play in her death, and records identify Sanchez as the woman’s brother.

Sanchez and the other suspect drove the three victims to a secluded area and demanded one man get out of the car, while the woman and the other victim stayed in the vehicle, the affidavit states. The male victim who stayed in the car stated he heard a gunshot and saw the suspects return to the car without the third victim.

Police later canvassed the area and did not find the victim. The affidavit does not identify him but indicates that he was the same person who filed a police report several days earlier claiming to have been abducted and assaulted by two men that match the description in this case.

The suspects then drove the victims to a secluded area in the 9200 block of S. W.W. White Road and forced them to lie in the grass, police said.

The woman was fatally shot in the back of the head, police said. The gunmen attempted to kill the witness but there was “some sort of malfunction” with the gun.

The man fled and ran screaming to a residential neighborhood around 1 a.m. The affidavit states he “had scratches throughout his body from running through heavy brush.”

He called the police and told officers that he witnessed his friend get executed. He said Sanchez was the driver, and he was armed with a gun throughout the night.

The witness said the second suspect shot the woman. The second suspect is not identified in the arrest affidavit for Sanchez.

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About the Author:

Rebecca Salinas has worked in digital news for more than 10 years and joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.