SAN ANTONIO – A 19-year-old man is facing a murder charge after police said he opened fire on a man he had been "beefing" with but instead shot a woman in the chest, killing her.
John Michael Zimmers Jr. was taken into custody Thursday night following a high-speed chase with authorities, which ended when Zimmers crashed his car into another vehicle and then into an auto parts store on the city's Southeast Side.
Zimmers was wanted for the murder of 36-year-old Gloria Rodriguez, who was shot Tuesday evening while walking in the 6600 block of Pecan Valley Drive. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later died.
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"There was no reason in any way shape or form that she had this coming. There was no way," said Elizabeth Hale, Rodriguez's mother.
Police said two men were walking with Rodriguez at the time of the shooting. One of them told a detective with the San Antonio Police Department that he was the intended target.
The man told police they went to buy some items at a nearby gas station, where he spotted Zimmers in a green SUV parked by the gas pumps. He said they started walking home after seeing the green SUV drive off, according to an affidavit.
When they walked up to the intersection of Pecan Valley Drive and Pyle Street, the man said he noticed the green SUV waiting at a stop sign. The green SUV then pulled up beside them and Zimmers began firing at them, according to the affidavit.
The man told the SAPD detective Zimmers was the only person inside the SUV at the time of the shooting.
A family member later showed up to the shooting scene, telling authorities they found Zimmers' green SUV abandoned on the side of the road. The family member said Zimmers had called them saying he was involved in an incident.
The SAPD detective said Zimmers went to a friend's house asking for help, telling him he shot someone but that they shot at him first, according to the affidavit.
Zimmers told the friend he had been beefing with one of the men he shot at but instead struck Rodriguez, according to the affidavit.
"She didn't deserve to die that way -- the way it happened," said Gloria Espinoza, Rodriguez's grandmother. "I feel that (Zimmers) deserves whatever he gets (because) he shot an innocent, loving, sweet person that didn't do no harm to nobody."
Zimmer is now facing charges of murder, a first-degree felony; and evading arrest, a third-degree felony. His bond has been set at $175,000.
Early this morning officers assigned to the Street Crimes Unit and Eagle were involved in a vehicle pursuit of murder...
Posted by San Antonio Police Department on Friday, November 23, 2018