BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – San Antonio police officers have arrested a second man they believe is also responsible for a deadly drive-by shooting at a Southwest Side family barbecue nearly four full years ago.
Darius Patric Torres, 26, was taken into custody on Tuesday. Court records show Torres has been charged with capital murder of multiple people.
Officers were dispatched to a shooting call just before 10:15 p.m. on June 18, 2022, to a home in the 2500 block of Patron Drive.
At the time, SAPD said a dark-colored SUV pulled up in front of the home and opened fire on people who attended a family barbecue. Authorities said between 20 and 30 shots rang out before the SUV fled the scene.
In all, seven people were hit. Authorities said two men — Juan Gomez, 46 and Alejandro Gomez-Soliz, 45 — were killed. Five others were treated for injuries at a local hospital.
Torres, who was 22 at the time of the shooting, has had his bond set at $750,000. As of Wednesday night, he remains in custody at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
Another shooting moments later
According to Torres’ October 2023 arrest affidavit, officers were dispatched to a nearby convenience store for a shooting in progress call six minutes after the Patron Drive shooting call.
The store, located at the intersection of South Zarzamora Street and Gillette Boulevard, is approximately 1.3 miles from the Patron Drive shooting.
Police said surveillance video from the store showed a dark-colored vehicle pull in and “shoot multiple rounds at a specific vehicle.” Despite the gunshots also striking other vehicles and nearby buildings, no one was injured by gunfire, the affidavit states.
After the suspect vehicle fled the convenience store, surveillance video and accompanying audio showed the driver of the “specific vehicle” went inside the store and told someone that a person named “Nate” was the person who opened fire on them.
Based on the surveillance video and shell casings recovered on Patron Drive and the convenience store, investigators said they determined the same dark-colored vehicle — a Dodge Durango — was present at both shooting scenes.
A potential connection to a third shooting
One day later, on June 19, 2022, SAPD investigators said they spoke to a victim of an alleged drive-by shooting four days before the Patron Drive and convenience store shootings.
The victim shared video of a potential suspect vehicle, a gray-colored Dodge Durango, with police. They told officers they believed a male named “Christian” and another male in the Dodge Durango were involved in the June 14, 2022, shooting as well as the two drive-by shootings, on June 18, 2022.
According to the victim, the Dodge Durango was known to frequent the Hunter’s Glen Townhomes, which are located in the 9200 block of Somerset Road.
Later, on June 19, 2022, SAPD observed a 2011 Dodge Durango committing a traffic violation and pulled the vehicle over at the intersection of Southwest Military Drive and Bynum Avenue.
Officers said three people — Torres, Nathan Martinez and Christian Jimenez — were in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop. Investigators said Torres matched the description of the other male who was accused of being in the Dodge Durango with a male named “Christian” in the June 14, 2022 drive-by shooting.
When officers approached the Dodge Durango, “several” handguns and “narcotics” were visible in the vehicle. Two of the handguns also had a “switch” on them. A “switch” can turn a typical handgun into an automatic weapon, investigators said.
Torres, who admitted to police two of the guns in the Dodge Durango were his, was originally taken into custody along with Martinez and Jimenez on weapons and drugs charges.
After the vehicle was impounded and a search warrant was executed, SAPD crime scene investigators said they found shell casings inside the Dodge Durango that “matched” the same shell casings found after the Patron Drive shooting, according to the affidavit.
Additionally, police said one of the weapons that belonged to Torres matched the “type and caliber” of shell casings recovered on Patron Drive.
On June 20, 2022, one day after Torres, Martinez and Jimenez were arrested, a surviving victim of the Patron Drive shooting spoke to San Antonio police from the hospital.
The victim told SAPD he “received threats” weeks earlier from a male named “Christian” that “Christian” and another male named “Nate” were planning to “shoot up” the home on Patron Drive.
Martinez’s capital murder arrest
Torres is not the first capital murder arrest connected to the Patron Drive shooting.
Martinez, who was 18 at the time of the Patron Drive shooting, was arrested in November 2023 and also charged with capital murder in connection with the case.
At the time of the November 2023 arrest, an SAPD spokesperson said officers linked Martinez to two separate August 2023 shooting investigations.
According to updated county court records, Martinez, 22, was taken back into custody on March 23. He is currently held without bond before his capital murder trial is scheduled to begin on May 4.
Martinez’s trial will take place before presiding Judge Stephanie Boyd in Bexar County’s 187th Criminal District Court.
While the October 2023 affidavit states Torres, Martinez and Jimenez were all initially charged with capital murder, current online court records only show capital murder charges filed for Torres and Martinez.
It is unclear if Jimenez is still facing capital murder charges. KSAT reached out to SAPD and the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday night for clarification on Jimenez’s current status.
Torres’ next court appearance has yet to be determined.
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