Two brothers in Texas died less than 12 hours apart after they were shot while backing a car out of their driveway, in an attack police say was allegedly carried out by a neighbor described by authorities as a “ticking timebomb.”
Dravyn Quiroz, 20, and his 11-year-old brother, Maliki Perales, were killed last Tuesday in what appeared to be a random shooting in a San Antonio neighborhood, according to NBC affiliate WOAI.
Authorities say 40-year-old Daniel Antonio Perez allegedly opened fire after one of the brothers noticed a man staring at them, despite there being no known history of conflict between the neighbors.
Quiroz had been backing up a vehicle in the family’s driveway when his younger brother stepped outside, moments before the gunfire erupted.
“I hear pops, my wife starts screaming,” the boys’ father, Andrew Perales, told KSAT.
“I got my gun, came down.”
Perales said that as panic spread through the home, he stumbled over one of his sons lying on the ground.
“The guy was across the street reloading, starting to shoot again,” he said.
The younger Perales, who was set to start middle school, died just before 8:50 p.m., one hour and 20 minutes after shots were fired.
The student was carried to a Dollar General store by his dad around a quarter of a mile away before being rushed to a hospital.
Perales’ older brother Quiroz died around 12 hours later.
Alleged gunman Perez tried to flee the scene after the shooting but was arrested around 10 minutes later.
He has since been charged with capital murder, meaning he could face the death penalty if convicted in accordance with Texas law.
“It’s an extremely unfortunate situation for the family that just simply fell victim to this guy,” Javier Salazar, the Bexar County Sheriff, said.
“Unbeknownst to them, they had what I would believe and categorize as a ticking time bomb right across the street from them.
“For whatever reason, he came across the street and began firing upon two young men that were in front of their family residence across the street.
“No reason to believe that at this point, no apparent provocation of any sort.”
Perez’s family told investigators he had experienced mental health episodes in the past but never reported them to the authorities, according to the cop.
The suspect suffered from depression and was “seeing things that were not there,” Salazar said.
Investigators found his gun from a nearby drainage culvert, the cop revealed.
Salazar also revealed that Perez “shot at two other siblings of this family that were at or near the front door of the residence.”
“Thankfully, [he] missed,” the cop said.
Perales has since paid tribute to his sons, describing them as “fighters.”
“I raised them right. They had good morals. They had good values,” he said.
Quiroz was killed just months on from undergoing surgeries for pancreatitis and diabetic ketoacidosis.
“Before the DKA … he was just a normal kid trying to get his life together,” Perales said, speaking of his late son.
Perez was also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon – on top of the capital murder charges.
He is set to appear in court in November.
Meanwhile hundreds of mourners attended a vigil Saturday in memory of the brothers.
