Surveillance footage showed man fatally shooting 15-year-old, SAPD says

Zachary Vargas, 20, charged with murder in fatal altercation on Jan. 25 on Belcross

Booking records show Zachary Vargas, 20, has been charged with murder. (Bexar County Jail)

SAN ANTONIO – Surveillance footage led to the arrest of a man accused of fatally shooting a 15-year-old outside a West Side home earlier this year.

Booking records show Zachary Vargas, 20, was recently charged with murder in the shooting of Markhael Ross on Jan. 25 in the 500 block of Belcross.

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On that night, Ross went to Vargas’ home and approached him in the front yard, officers said in an arrest warrant affidavit. A physical altercation erupted and one of them pulled out a gun.

Footage showed that the two men fought over the gun, and the gun discharged at the ground. Both men fell to the ground, but Vargas then stood up and pointed the gun at Ross, who was still laying down, police said.

Vargas fired a shot at Ross but appeared to have missed, the surveillance footage showed.

Ross, who appeared to be injured, tried to flee on foot but Vargas then shot him in the back, police said.

Ross fell to the ground again, and a witness slapped him in an attempt to revive him. He was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The affidavit states that Vargas first told his mother he was being robbed, but the investigation showed that Vargas was expecting Ross because he was going to sell him something.

Police initially said that his parents refused to cooperate with the police.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on Sept. 8, records show. He was arrested on Monday and his bond was set at $250,000.

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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.