A quiet Saturday evening in a residential Houston neighborhood was shattered by sudden violence, leaving one man dead and another critically wounded in a brazen drive-by shooting. The attack claimed the life of Antonio Castellanos, a 49-year-old Hispanic man, outside his own home in November 2013. More than a decade later, his killing remains unsolved, and his loved ones are without answers or justice.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 2013. Antonio was standing in front of his residence in the 11600 block of Lima Street. With him was his friend, 39-year-old Reynaldo Lopez of Fresno, Texas. According to the Houston Police Department, their evening was violently interrupted when a black Chevrolet Silverado "Texas Edition" pickup truck sped down the street. Witnesses reported the truck was moving at a high rate of speed before it suddenly stopped near where Antonio was standing in the street.
Without warning, several gunshots were fired from the passenger side of the Silverado. Both Antonio and Reynaldo were struck by the gunfire. The truck then fled the scene, leaving chaos in its wake. When emergency services arrived, they found Antonio with fatal injuries; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics rushed Reynaldo Lopez to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition.
The Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division immediately launched an investigation, with Sergeant T. Biggs and Senior Police Officer R. Bolton leading the initial inquiry. They processed the crime scene and interviewed potential witnesses, piecing together the sequence of events. The primary clue was the description of the suspect vehicle: a distinctive black Chevrolet Silverado with the "Texas Edition" package. However, investigators did not release a description of the occupants of the truck.
In the days following the shooting, police had not determined a motive for the attack. There was no public information released to suggest what might have led to the deadly confrontation. The seemingly random and swift nature of the violence left the community shaken and investigators with few leads to pursue. The case presented a significant challenge for law enforcement, as many homicides in a major city like Houston often do without immediate witnesses willing or able to identify suspects.
As the investigation continued, authorities urged the public to come forward with any information. Detectives hoped that someone might have seen the black Silverado in the area before or after the shooting, or might have heard conversations about the crime. The Houston Police Department asked anyone with knowledge of the case to contact the HPD Homicide Division directly at 713-308-3600.
To encourage tips, the case was also referred to Crime Stoppers of Houston, an organization that allows citizens to provide information anonymously. A reward is typically offered for information that leads to the felony charging or arrest of a suspect. The Crime Stoppers tip line at 713-222-TIPS remains a potential avenue for a breakthrough in the case. As of the last available reports in November 2013, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The case of Antonio Castellanos’s murder is cold, but it is not closed.
