Second arrest made in slaying of 22-year-old outside NE side strip mall

19-year-old Jimmy Coung Duc Tran charged in Andres Salinas' shooting death

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police have made a second arrest in the slaying of a 22-year-old man.

Jimmy Coung Duc Tran, 19, was arrested Friday. He and 20-year-old Sebastian Espinar are facing capital murder charges in the Aug. 12 shooting death of Andres Salinas.

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According to an arrest affidavit, a witness told investigators he saw Salinas walk up to a car parked behind a Wing Stop in the 13900 block of Nacogdoches.

The witness told police Salinas then started to run away from the car, and that's when Espinar and Tran got out of the car and started shooting at Salinas, who then collapsed to the ground. The suspects got back in the car and fled, the witness said.

Salinas was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators were able to get a surveillance video from a nearby HEB and identify the suspects' car as a white Hyundai Genesis. Officers searched police records for cars matching that description and found a person of interest, Espinar, who had recently been arrested on suspicion of reckless conduct, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm.

Police tracked down Espinar and took pictures of his car. The affidavit says investigators compared those pictures to the surveillance video and determined it was the same car. Investigators called Espinar in for questioning, and he eventually admitted to shooting Salinas, the affidavit says.

According to the affidavit, Espinar told police he and Tran were buying narcotics from Salinas, but decided they wanted to rob him. Once Salinas had given them the product, the affidavit says Espinar showed him he had a gun and told him, "You should go back inside and go back to work."

Espinar told police Salinas then reached inside the car and grabbed some cash that was between Espinar's legs and then took off running. Police say Espinar and Tran got out of the car and started shooting at Salinas, killing him.

Espinar was arrested Thursday afternoon. Tran was taken into custody Friday.


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