Background: Law enforcement officers arrest Mason Ray Rodriguez (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office). Inset: Mason Ray Rodriguez (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office).
A man in Texas shot a romantic rival more than a dozen times – killing him – and then tried to hide the murder weapon, authorities say.
21-year-old Mason Ray Rodriguez faces murder charges for the death of 29-year-old Enrique Javier Perales, as announced by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office during a Tuesday press conference. The incident took place on Monday night.
Sheriff Javier Salazar reported that around 7 p.m. on Monday, Rodriguez went to a residence on the 6700 block of Calle Fincias, where Perales and several others were present. An argument reportedly erupted between Rodriguez and Perales at the home.
Salazar explained on Tuesday that the suspected motive involves a shared romantic interest. “Basically, the dispute stemmed from a woman they were both involved with,” he stated.
Rodriguez is accused of drawing a 9 mm Glock and firing more than a dozen shots at Perales based on the victim’s injuries, according to the sheriff. Following the shooting, Rodriguez allegedly left the scene. The presence of the woman involved in the argument remains uncertain.
Perales was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect then reportedly attempted to discard the firearm by burying it, along with a high-capacity magazine he had, Sheriff Salazar mentioned, suggesting the weapon contained a 30-round magazine.
Not long after, deputies located Rodriguez at a residence near the crime scene, authorities said. He “surrendered” and “began making statements implicating himself in the murder,” Salazar stated, adding that while “some claims” of self-defense were made, “we don’t believe that that’s an indicator.”
The alleged murder weapon was recovered, and Rodriguez was booked into the Bexar County Jail on Tuesday morning. Salazar did not rule out the possibility that other people may be charged in the case.
Bexar County is located in the central-southern part of the Lone Star State.
