Martin Pineda, 38, was fatally shot on January 3, 2017, around 8:45 p.m. while taking out the trash at his apartment complex in the 2900 block of Corporate Drive in Houston. Officers found him with a gunshot wound to the abdomen; he was taken to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and pronounced dead.

Surveillance footage showed a stolen white GMC pickup entering the complex, one person exiting and approaching Pineda before shooting him and fleeing. The truck was later recovered with a McDonald’s receipt dated the day after the shooting, which led investigators to surveillance identifying 19-year-old Oscar Martinez as the driver. Martinez was arrested on June 23, 2017, and admitted driving the truck and that an accomplice exited with intent to rob Pineda; he said he heard two gunshots.

Further inquiry identified 21-year-old Luis Contreras as the alleged shooter; Contreras was arrested October 4, 2017, after a high-speed chase and charged with capital murder and related offenses. Both suspects were held without bail in Harris County Jail. The case drew attention to surveillance evidence and residential safety. Anyone with information about what happened that night is asked to come forward.