Drayvn Quiroz, 20, and his 11-year-old brother, Maliki Perales, were backing into their driveway when authorities say a man who lived nearby suddenly opened fire.
SAN ANTONIO — Two brothers, ages 11 and 20, were killed Tuesday night in what Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar described as an unprovoked attack outside their Texas home.
The shooting happened in a neighborhood on the west side of the San Antonio area, where officials said a 40-year-old man believed to be a neighbor fired multiple rounds at the brothers as they were in the family vehicle. Both were taken to a hospital but later died from their injuries. Salazar voiced sympathy for the family, KENS reported.
According to the sheriff, the gunman also shot toward two other siblings who had come to or near the front door after hearing the commotion. “Thankfully, he missed,” Salazar said.
“They had what I believe and what I would categorize as a ticking time bomb right across the street from them and really had no warning whatsoever,” Salazar said.
Salazar said he had been told the victims’ family was deeply loved in the community and was known for helping others, adding that they “fed the neighborhood.”
The brothers were identified by their father as 11-year-old Maliki Damian Perales and 20-year-old Drayvn Quiroz. Neighbors have since organized a fundraiser to help support the grieving family.
Authorities identified the suspect as Daniel Antonio Perez, 40, who Salazar said lived down the street. Perez was arrested on suspicion of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Investigators believe Perez was experiencing a mental health crisis leading up to the shooting. According to Salazar, deputies learned Perez had reportedly been suffering from depression and might have been seeing things that were not there, but those concerns were never reported to law enforcement.
He said family members of the suspect tried to intervene and stop the shooting, an act that was all caught on camera.
“You had two female family members of his physically trying to restrain him while he’s armed with a gun,” Salazar said. “You can tell they are going through something trying to get him restrained and stop him from doing what he’s doing.”
While he is sympathetic to the family of the suspect, Salazar said everyone wishes there had been a different outcome.
Perez remained in the Bexar County Jail in lieu of bail of more than $2 million.
