Enrique Bocanegra

Enrique Bocanegra, a 66-year-old man, was a kind and familiar presence in his San Antonio, Texas, neighborhood. A neighbor recalled him as a nice guy who was always helping people and tending to his yard. Employees at a nearby convenience store knew him as a regular customer who came in every day with a smile to play lottery tickets. On the afternoon of February 21, 2022, Bocanegra was inside his home watching television when his life was tragically cut short.

That day, a drug-related robbery escalated into a deadly shootout just outside his home. According to investigators, five people in a green Chevrolet Suburban had planned to rob a man of narcotics. The driver, 21-year-old Oscar Martinez, parked near a gas station at the intersection of Blanco Road and West Mariposa Drive and called over 17-year-old Jerry Ortiz. As Ortiz approached the vehicle, 14-year-old Christopher James Mejia jumped out of the Suburban and tried to grab a bag from him.

A struggle ensued, and both Mejia and Ortiz pulled out handguns and began shooting at each other. Investigators believe at least one other person also fired shots from inside the Suburban. When the gunfire stopped, Mejia was dead at the scene. Another passenger in the SUV, a 17-year-old male, was critically wounded. A stray bullet traveled across the street and into Bocanegra’s home, killing him instantly.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus expressed his outrage at the incident, calling it “risky behavior” that “resulted in the senseless death of a resident in the neighborhood.” The investigation quickly led to the arrests of the four surviving occupants of the Suburban: Oscar Martinez, the wounded 17-year-old, and two other juveniles. Police used surveillance footage from the convenience store and a nearby home to identify Jerry Ortiz, who had fled the scene.

Two days after the shooting, Ortiz turned himself in to police. He was the fifth and final suspect taken into custody. All five individuals—Martinez, Ortiz, and the three juveniles—were charged with capital murder in the deaths of both Enrique Bocanegra and Christopher James Mejia. In June 2024, Oscar Martinez went on trial for the two killings.