SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department said it arrested a man in connection with an April deadly shooting near downtown.
More than one month ago, just before 7 p.m. on April 16, San Antonio police officers responded to a shooting call near downtown at the intersection of Lamar Street and Austin Street.
When officers arrived, they said they found a victim with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. The 49-year-old male victim, identified in Bexar County records as Ernest Phillips Jr., was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
Initially, investigators said the suspect and Phillips were in an altercation that led to Phillips attempting to run away from the suspect. After a short chase, the suspect brandished a weapon and fired multiple rounds at Phillips.
The suspect was able to flee the scene on foot, police said. Phillips was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
San Antonio police received what the department determined to be credible information regarding a suspect in this case, according to an arrest affidavit. The suspect was later identified by detectives, SAPD said.
Approximately one week after investigators received the tip, a witness called police. The witness told officers that the suspect confessed to the deadly shooting on April 16, the affidavit states.
The witness also told police that the suspect shot Phillips in self-defense because Phillips was armed with a pipe, court records show.
Authorities said they saw the suspect at a gas station on Friday. SAPD officers, with the help of the U.S. Marshals, took 36-year-old Jose Alejo into custody due to an active, unrelated warrant.
Detectives said they had probable cause to charge Alejo with the deadly shooting on April 16, so an additional arrest warrant was obtained related to the shooting.
Alejo was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Friday afternoon. Both charges have Alejo’s total bond listed at $132,000, the county said.
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