SAN ANTONIO – A 47-year-old man is accused of shooting his childhood friend several times and then stealing his pickup truck.
Around 1:30 a.m. on June 19, officers found the victim, 49, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 400 block of Berkshire Avenue, which is just south of downtown.
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The victim told the police that his friend, Manuel Ayala, shot him after Ayala was upset about a business deal.
Police said that, after the shooting, Ayala fled in the man's 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche before officers arrived at the scene.
Hours later, Ayala was spotted less than 2 miles away from where the shooting happened, according to an arrest affidavit.
In an interview with detectives, Ayala claimed his friend had already been shot when he took his friend's truck and that someone else had pulled the trigger, the affidavit said.
Ayala was taken into custody and remains in the Bexar County Jail on suspicion of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. His bail has been set at $50,000.
Online records show Ayala has a criminal history that dates back to 1996 and includes a conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Ayala was sentenced in 2003 to four years in prison for that charge, according to online records.
Online records show Ayala has previously been arrested on suspicion of unlawful carry of a weapon and assault causing bodily injury.