On August 8, 2023, 18-year-old Dontrae Alvin Suarez of San Antonio was shot during an attempted carjacking near Highway 281 and Hume Road in south Bexar County. Suarez and a juvenile accomplice arranged to meet the vehicle’s owner to buy a 2006 Dodge Charger after contacting the seller on Instagram. During the test drive the juvenile, seated in the driver’s seat, produced a pistol and attempted to rob the owner. A struggle followed; the owner was shot in the arm and back, Suarez—seated in the rear—was shot, and a 19-year-old companion of the owner, Ricardo De La Fuente, suffered fatal injuries.

The suspects fled in the Charger and another vehicle but later transported Suarez to a hospital, where he died. Authorities arrested 18-year-old Daquan Veneka Ruffin on September 14, 2023; Ruffin was charged with capital murder and investigators say he knowingly participated in the robbery and had discussed concerns about the plan beforehand. Suarez, born October 7, 2005, overcame serious early health challenges and was remembered for his vibrant personality, devotion to family and faith.

Did anyone in the area witness the meeting near Highway 281 and Hume Road or the vehicles that left the scene?