Steven Panhead Jonas

On July 17, 1983, a confrontation at a San Antonio, Texas, nightclub ended in the violent death of Steven Leonard "Panhead" Jonas, a 34-year-old Hispanic male who was a member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. Jonas was fatally shot in the neck with a shotgun during the early morning hours of that Sunday. The shooting occurred in the nightclub's parking lot following an argument inside the establishment. What began as a dispute escalated into a deadly encounter that left Jonas dead and prompted a police investigation.

Investigators determined that Jonas had been struck by a single shotgun blast to the neck. Although the argument preceding the shooting was reported, the precise circumstances surrounding the confrontation, including what triggered the dispute and the identity of the person who fired the weapon, were not fully disclosed in contemporary accounts. By July 20, 1983, San Antonio police acknowledged that they had a suspect in the killing, but no arrests had been made. Authorities did not publicly identify the suspect in the available reporting, leaving unanswered questions about who was responsible and whether the shooting had been a spontaneous act of violence or involved a more deliberate motive.

Jonas had previously attracted the attention of federal investigators because of his association with the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. Before his death, he had been questioned in connection with the November 21, 1978, attempted assassination of Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kerr. Kerr had been driving to work in San Antonio when gunmen attacked his vehicle, firing numerous rounds into it. He narrowly escaped serious injury by ducking beneath the dashboard. Jonas was among the individuals investigated for possible involvement in the attack. He also appeared before federal grand juries investigating the May 29, 1979, assassination of U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. Although Jonas was suspected of involvement in the attack on Kerr, the allegations were not established by a conviction. No verified information connects either federal investigation directly to Jonas's subsequent murder.

The circumstances surrounding Jonas's death were particularly distressing for his family. According to reporting published shortly afterward, his parents learned what had happened when members of the Bandidos arrived at their home at approximately 4:30 a.m. on the morning of the shooting. A close member of the family stated that police had not officially informed them of his death. The motorcycle club members had come not only to deliver the devastating news but also to ask permission to organize a funeral honoring Jonas according to the club's traditions.

On July 20, 1983, three days after the killing, members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club traveled to San Antonio from across the United States to attend Jonas's funeral. Approximately 200 members were expected, with riders coming from Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, South Dakota, New Mexico, and other locations. The club's San Antonio president, who identified himself only as Pablo, described plans for a large gathering in which members would wear their distinctive club colors and accompany Jonas to his burial.

The funeral procession became a remarkable public display of solidarity among the motorcycle club's members. Riders formed a procession extending more than a mile along Interstate 10 as they traveled toward the cemetery at Zion Lutheran Church on Braun Road near Loop 1604. Rather than conducting a traditional religious service, club representatives planned for one of Jonas's fellow members to deliver a graveside eulogy. The gathering reflected the importance Jonas held within the organization and the determination of its members to honor him after his violent death.

Despite the attention surrounding his killing, the investigation did not produce a publicly documented resolution in the available accounts. Police had reported having a suspect shortly after the shooting, but no reliable subsequent information was located identifying that individual or establishing that anyone was arrested, formally charged, prosecuted, or convicted for Jonas's murder. The reported barroom disagreement remains the clearest publicly documented circumstance immediately preceding the attack, while the motive and identity of the killer remain unconfirmed in available records.

More than four decades after the shooting, the death of Steven "Panhead" Jonas remains a significant episode in the history of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club in San Antonio. His killing, the investigation that followed, and the extraordinary funeral procession became part of the club's history during a period marked by violence and intense law enforcement scrutiny. Although investigators initially indicated that they had a suspect, the available public record does not establish whether the person responsible was ever brought to justice.