SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio murder suspect, who was labeled as a “habitual offender” in an indictment, was granted deferred adjudication Thursday on a lesser charge.
Bexar County court records show Juan Gabriel Medina, 41, was originally charged with murder following a deadly March 31, 2022, shooting.
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An SAPD incident report obtained by KSAT revealed Medina as the person who allegedly shot and killed a victim identified as Davian Corey Mendoza.
Court records indicate Medina’s murder charge was waived before he was sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication for unlawfully carrying a weapon as a previously convicted felon — which means he will not face any time behind bars. The charge is considered a second-degree felony.
Visiting Judge Kevin M. O’Connell presided over the case in Bexar County’s 290th Criminal District Court.
The shooting
According to the incident report, three San Antonio police officers responded to a shooting call at approximately 7:15 p.m. to an apartment complex. The complex’s location was redacted in the report.
Upon arrival, the first officer said they saw Medina walk down a flight of stairs and admitted he was “the one” who fired a weapon. Moments later, the second responding officer placed Medina in handcuffs, the report states. The first and third officers then entered the unit where the shooting took place.
Shortly after entering the unit, the first officer said they saw Mendoza “laying on the living room floor” with a gunshot wound to his face. San Antonio fire crews were called to the scene.
The first officer later saw a “firearm” outside the unit “laying next to the doorway” and elected to leave it there until crime scene investigators arrived, the report states.
Medina told police he was there to help a woman move out of the apartment. According to Medina, the woman wanted to move out “due to family violence” involving Mendoza.
At some point, police said Medina and Mendoza got into an argument about the woman’s birth certificate. The argument escalated when Medina said Mendoza appeared to reach into his pocket for something.
Medina, according to the report, demanded to know what Mendoza was reaching for. Mendoza pulled out a knife. Police said Medina asked Mendoza to put the knife down.
According to Medina, he reached for and grabbed a pistol from the woman’s sister. Medina pointed the weapon at Mendoza before he shot him in the face.
The gunowner — as well as another witness who lives at the apartment — corroborated Medina’s account about why he was there, the argument with Mendoza, Mendoza’s knife and his shooting of Mendoza in separate interviews with SAPD, the report states.
In the report, the first officer wrote that they transported Medina to SAPD headquarters for questioning. After he spoke to detectives at headquarters, detectives told the first officer to “release” Medina while their “investigation continues.”
The officer then dropped Medina off at his mother’s home, according to the report.
“No further action taken,” the SAPD report concludes.
Medina’s indictment
On March 25, 2024 — nearly two full years after the deadly shooting — a Bexar County grand jury indicted Medina in connection with the 2022 murder of Mendoza. KSAT obtained a copy of the indictment Friday.
Following the second paragraph of the indictment, the document labeled Medina as a “habitual offender” after he was convicted of separate felonies in 2005 and 2011, respectively.
An SAPD spokesperson told KSAT that an officer conducted an April 11, 2024, traffic stop on Medina. Police then learned of his active warrant and took him into custody.
At the time, Medina was facing more than a murder charge. Jail and court records show he was also booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on the following charges:
- unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon (third-degree felony)
- possessing between four ounces and five pounds of marijuana (state jail felony)
According to court records, the third-degree felony and state jail felony charges were dismissed Friday morning.
DA’s office recusal
After obtaining the SAPD incident report and March 2024 indictment, KSAT reached out to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for comment Friday.
In a statement to KSAT, the DA’s office said it “filed a motion for recusal” in Medina’s case long before Thursday’s sentencing.
Court records show the motion was filed Aug. 28, 2024 — just four months after police arrested Medina during the traffic stop. The DA’s office spokesperson said the court granted its request on Oct. 3, 2024.
“As a result, our office had no involvement or oversight in the outcome of this case,” the Bexar County DA’s Office spokesperson said. “If you have any additional questions, please contact the (290th Criminal District) court directly for more information, as well as the appointed attorney pro tem, who handled the case.”
Though the DA’s office did not explain why it wanted to recuse itself, KSAT asked the spokesperson for its reason behind the decision in a follow-up question.
KSAT also emailed the court coordinator inside the 290th Criminal District Court for comment Friday on Medina’s sentencing. This story will be updated with responses from the DA’s office and the court.
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