SAN ANTONIO – An arrest has been made in connection with the shooting death of a San Antonio Independent School District student in April, according to Bexar County records. San Antonio police, however, say they are still searching for two other suspects.
Fernando Flores, 18, has been charged with capital murder of a person older than 10 years old but younger than 15 years old.
In a Friday SAPD Facebook post, police said Caesar Tijerina, 20, and an underage suspect are wanted for capital murder in connection with Simon Cuevas’ death.
San Antonio police and San Antonio ISD officers found Cuevas, 14, with a gunshot wound to his abdomen at the corner of South Elmendorf Street and Merida Street on April 16, according to an arrest affidavit. Cuevas was later transported to a local hospital, where he later died.
Cuevas was pronounced dead at 2:53 p.m., according to Flores’ arrest warrant.
In the affidavit, witnesses told police that several individuals attacked Cuevas before one of them pulled out a gun and shot the teen.
Surveillance video showed the group of five suspects were following him as he left school. Previous KSAT reporting indicated that he attended an alternative program at Brewer Academy.
After Cuevas was beaten and shot, the group fled the area, according to the affidavit. Police said the suspects all worked together to plan the attack on Cuevas and participated in the assault that eventually led to his shooting death.
The mother of one suspect was seen on surveillance video driving them. After police spoke with her, she said she dropped them all off at one of their houses after the murder, the affidavit stated.
The mother identified one of the suspects from a photo lineup. A school staff member identified another from surveillance footage, according to the suspect’s arrest warrant.
After a Crime Stoppers bulletin was released, several tips poured in, leading to the identification of two suspects seen in the SAPD property room.
Two people later came forward and told police one of the suspects, Flores, had told them he shot Cuevas. Police found a brown hoodie that matched what Flores was wearing the day of the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Several anonymous tips also named Flores as the shooter. He was arrested on Thursday, according to county court records.
One of the suspects who initiated the attack on Cuevas has not been positively identified, the affidavit stated.
Earlier this week, KSAT reported that items left at a memorial set up by friends of Cuevas just a few blocks away from Brewer Academy had begun to fade.
In an email Wednesday morning, police told KSAT that several recent tips to Crime Stoppers have helped them identify possible suspects.
None of those suspects have been identified until KSAT obtained Flores’ arrest warrant.
San Antonio ISD sent the following statement to KSAT on Friday:
“We are grateful to law enforcement for their pursuit of justice in this case. We continue to lift up the family who suffered the senseless loss of their son and our student, who will always be a member of our own SAISD familia. We hope this news brings his family, and ours, some comfort.”
More coverage of this story on KSAT.com: