BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A license plate reader led to the arrest of three suspects in connection with a deadly shooting in northeast Bexar County, according to arrest affidavits.
The arrest warrants identified the suspects as Kyle Erin Torres-Carcovich, 45; Martin Sanchez Jr., 58; and Robert Barnett, 38.
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According to court records, Torres-Carcovich, Barnett and Sanchez are all charged with failure to report a felony with serious bodily injury or death results, which is considered a Class A misdemeanor.
Sanchez is also charged with tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair, a third-degree felony, jail records show.
License plate reader on suspect vehicle
Bexar County sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting around 2:30 a.m. Monday at the intersection of Waterside Drive and Crestway Road.
Upon arrival, deputies located a 31-year-old man unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds inside a black Mitsubishi Lancer, the affidavit states.
He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators detained multiple people at the shooting scene who reported that they were traveling toward Waterside Drive and noticed a white Volvo sedan parked on the side of the road with a blonde female driver.
Witnesses told investigators that when their vehicle stopped at the Waterside and Crestway intersection, the white Volvo pulled up beside them and multiple gunshots came from the vehicle.
Approximately a minute before the shooting call came out, the affidavit said the white Volvo was located at New World Drive and Miller Road, which is around half a mile away from the crime scene. Investigators used a license plate reader on the vehicle.
A sergeant later drove by a home around 11:25 a.m. in the 1900 block of Clay Oak Drive. The affidavit said the address was associated with the Volvo since it was a loaner from a dealership.
The sergeant said he saw a woman and a man standing beside the white Volvo parked inside a residential parking garage. The pair were cleaning the vehicle, according to the warrant.
The white Volvo was eventually located back at the dealership in the 1300 block of Northeast Loop 410. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Barnett, and the passenger, Torres-Carcovich, were detained as they pulled into the location, court documents state.
The suspect’s vehicle was confirmed to have the same Texas license plate detected on the reader approximately a minute before the shooting call, the affidavit said.
In subsequent interviews with investigators, court documents state Barnett and Torres-Carcovich said they were aware a shooting occurred on Waterside Drive.
Torres-Carcovich stated that Sanchez fired a weapon out of the Volvo’s window, which struck the victim’s vehicle. She also told investigators that she and Barnett discussed contacting law enforcement, but decided against it.
‘I’m going to light them up’
Barnett allegedly told authorities that Sanchez, who was sitting directly behind him, said, “I’m going to light them up” before the shooting, the affidavit states. Torres-Carcovich also told deputies that Sanchez fired the gunshots.
In Sanchez’s interview with investigators, he said that the purpose of the late-night meetup was to obtain narcotics, according to the affidavit. His timeline of events leading up to the shooting, however, was inconsistent with investigators’ account, the warrant said.
Investigators later obtained surveillance footage from a Valero gas station at approximately 3:10 a.m., which was around 40 minutes after the shooting call.
The footage showed Torres-Carcovich, Barnett and Sanchez at the gas station. Sanchez was allegedly seen “rummaging” through the back seat of the Volvo and throwing items into a trash can.
According to the warrant, investigators searched the trash can and discovered multiple shell casings.