San Marcos police say a man was injured and another one was arrested in two separate shootings this weekend — the sixth consecutive weekend in which authorities in the city have responded to reports of shots fired.
Police responded around 2:30 a.m. Sunday to a discharge of a firearm call at The Retreat apartment complex, located at 512 Craddock Avenue near FM 12. Officers were told that someone had been shot and that the victim was being taken to the hospital.
Police said there was a party at an apartment and, as the party dispersed into the parking lot, a physical disturbance broke out. Police said an unidentified man in a different apartment building pulled out a handgun and reportedly fired one round into the air and another one toward the crowd of party goers.
An 18-year-old man was shot in the arm and chest, police said. Friends took him to Premier ER before Hays County EMS transferred him to Ascension Seton Hays Hospital. He is expected to recover, police said.
The shooter has not been identified and police are asking anyone with surveillance video or information about the incident to contact Detective Spriegel at 512-753-2369 or sspriegel@sanmarcostx.gov.
In a separate incident, police responded Friday just after 3:30 a.m. to another discharge of a firearm call at the Village at Telluride apartment complex, located at 301 Telluride, east of Interstate 35.
A woman told police she heard approximately five shots near an apartment and saw a white sedan leaving the area. Police received another call regarding a loud noise from the same address, authorities said.
Officers found four shell casings on the road and on the front porch in front of the apartment. They then spoke to a person inside the apartment, who allowed them inside.
Officers noticed the apartment was in disarray, police said. The person who let them inside told them that two of the residents had gotten into a fight and that one of them was upstairs.
Police spoke to Garrett Allen Howe, 22, who was in his bedroom and had visible injuries to his face. He confirmed that he and his roommate were fighting but said he didn’t hear any gunshots or know anything about a gun being fired, police said.
The officers didn’t find any witnesses to the shooting but they found a black handgun in plain view inside a third roommate’s bedroom, which was the same caliber as the recovered shells, police said.
Howe had warrants out of Hays County and had a small bag of drugs in his pocket, police said. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant for assault causing bodily injury, and possession of a controlled substance. A report was also taken for assault family violence and for deadly conduct discharge of a firearm.
Howe was taken to the Hays County Jail and has since been released, county records show.
San Marcos police believe these incidents are part of a new fad of party goers firing weapons while in a large crowd of people, which they believe began in early October.
Texas State University police said the apartment complexes have large student populations, and are encouraging students to avoid such parties.
“Your safety is our top priority,” police previously said in a tweet. “Exposure to the combination of firearms, alcohol and drugs increases the likelihood of victimization.”
Anyone with more information about the incidents can call San Marcos police at 512-753-2300.
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