Inset top: Roland Contreras (San Antonio Police Department). Inset bottom: Gabrielle Felis Del Angel (Obituary). Background: Law enforcement investigate a shooting outside of a taco stand in San Antonio, Texas (KSAT/YouTube).
A Texas man has received his sentence for a tragic incident at a taco stand that ended in murder. Roland Contreras, 35, has been handed a 50-year prison term for the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Gabrielle Felis Del Angel. Contreras was also convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for attempting to shoot Del Angel’s husband, according to the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
The swift verdict came after a jury deliberated for just 30 minutes before finding Contreras guilty, as reported by regional ABC affiliate KSAT.
The incident occurred on the night of April 6, 2023. Del Angel and her husband were at a taco truck located on the 1800 block of Southwest Military Drive in San Antonio. While her husband stood in line for food, Del Angel remained in their parked Jeep.
Unexpectedly, Contreras approached the husband, brandishing a gun and yelling. The husband quickly retreated to the Jeep, attempting to flee the scene with Del Angel, according to police reports.
Despite their efforts to escape, Contreras pursued them. As they tried to drive away, Contreras fired his weapon, tragically hitting Del Angel in the chest, resulting in her death, the district attorney’s office stated.
However, Contreras continued to pursue the man, and, “as they attempted to escape, Contreras fired his weapon, striking [Del Angel] in the chest and inflicting a fatal injury,” the DA’s office said.
The husband reportedly drove to a nearby gas station where he called for help. However, Del Angel was later pronounced dead.
Police said Del Angel was not Contreras’ intended target, and that the husband later identified him as their attacker, recognizing him because of an ex-girlfriend, according to KSAT. Video footage recorded by the outlet as law enforcement investigated the crime scene shows a large bullet hole in the side of the Jeep’s driver’s side window.
Authorities tried to arrest Contreras later that night, even sending tear gas into his home. However, when they entered, they could not find him. He wound up being arrested about a month later.
“Today we reaffirm our stand against violence,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said. “Our goal will continue to be seeking justice on behalf of victims and holding offenders accountable for their unlawful actions.”
Del Angel was a special education teacher with three children, according to her obituary. “She was a loving and caring mother who adored her children more than anything in this world. Everything she did was for them,” it states.
