2 Dead, 5 Hurt in San Antonio Nightclub Shooting: 'Not a Random Incident'
Two people died and another 5 were injured during a shooting Sunday night inside a nightclub along San Antonio’s River Walk by a suspect who now is facing charges for capital murder, police said.
In a tweet posted Monday, police said the shooting was “not a random incident,” and that detectives “believe that at least one of the victims knew the suspect.”
“It’s nothing more complicated than an argument that occurred inside the club with someone pulling a firearm,” San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told reporters on the scene, according to video posted on the department’s Twitter feed.
On Monday afternoon police announced the arrest of the suspect, 19-year-old Kieran Christopher Williams.
ARRESTED: Excellent teamwork by our Repeat Offender Program (ROP), Street Crimes Unit, SWAT, EAGLE and Homicide detectives in the arrest of Kieran Christopher Williams. Williams is accused of opening fire last night at Ventura. Two people were killed and 5 others were injured. pic.twitter.com/TbYBrzTTVr
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) January 20, 2020
Police identified the deceased victims as 21-year-old Robert Martinez, who died at the scene, and 25-year-old Alejandro Robles, who initially was in critical condition but died later.
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The remaining victims — four males between ages 16 and 19, and one 46-year-old woman — were expected to recover, police said.
The oldest victim is a 46 year old woman. The other four victims are males between the ages of 16 and 19 years of age. This was not a random incident and Homicide Detectives believe that at least one of the victims knew the suspect. This investigation is ongoing.
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) January 20, 2020
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. inside Ventura, a bar and music venue on the Museum Reach portion of the River Walk that had promoted a showcase of multiple performers Sunday night under the banner “Living the DREAM,” reports the Associated Press.
McManus said only patrons, and no staff members of the venue, were among the casualties.
“There was an altercation between a group or individuals,” he said. “One person at least pulled out a gun, started shooting, don’t know if it was at a specific individual or just shooting indiscriminately,” he said.
He said their preliminary investigation did not reveal what started the altercation, and the investigation is ongoing.