SAN ANTONIO — It’s been nearly two months since a confrontational customer killed a fast-food manager in northwest San Antonio, and police continue looking for the shooter.
At around 9:30 p.m. on July 7, Daniel Shrewsbury was gunned down at the Sonic on Babcock and Eckhert.
His coworker, Carlos, was also working that night and witnessed the violence. He says he worked with Shrewsbury for nearly four years; both were managers who covered the overnight shift at Sonic.
“We started off as coworkers and became brothers,” said Carlos. “We went everywhere together. We loved wrestling, Royal Rumble. He was the life of the party. He was a good friend to me, a good friend to my son. He would give you his last dollar. I remember one time when I needed help really bad, and he actually helped me when I was at my lowest.”
Shrewsbury was shot to death just one week before his 34th birthday.
Authorities issued a murder warrant for 17-year-old Adiah Roberson and arrested the suspected getaway driver, 27-year-old Joshua Joseph. Investigators are also searching for a third person who was with them.
“I remember when they came into the drive-thru,” said Carlos. “The person who was in drive-thru said, ‘Hey, they are kind of giving me attitude.’ So, I said I would take care of it. They gave me fake money, which I caught [right away].
"I said, ‘Hey, this is fake money, what’s going on?’ I was going to let it go, but when they tried to hand me the money, the shooter wouldn’t reach across the passenger seat. Apparently, she was offended that I asked her to reach out a bit more to be helpful. That led to an argument, and I said, ‘You do know I can refuse you service for this fake $20 bill.’”
Carlos says the trio parked in one of the drive-in stalls and entered the kitchen.
“Of course, they gave me real money after that,” he said.
But the situation escalated when Roberson entered the restaurant a second time, according to Carlos.
“If the girl would have never come in the second time, my friend would still be here,” he said. “She came inside and was upset because she was corrected by me when I asked her to reach out and hand me the money. It was something so small, but she got upset and started throwing drinks. That’s when the driver came inside and got wet with drinks. He tried to blame me and Daniel who had just walked in—he had barely clocked in.”
Roberson took off with a tip cup containing about $100, according to Carlos. Shrewsbury followed her out and started taking photos of their license plate. That’s when investigators say the driver, Joseph, got out of the car and told Shrewsbury he was “going to get shot.”
“I heard the three pops go on outside and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I hope something bad didn’t happen!’” Carlos said.
Investigators say Roberson shot Shrewsbury in the chest. He made it inside before collapsing.
“When he came inside, I asked him if he was good,” said Carlos. “He didn’t say anything, and I just saw him fall. It scared me and I had a coworker there that helped me move him over. When I flipped him over, I heard him gasp for air."
'They are all lying'
Carlos now lives with the trauma of watching his close friend die.
“It was traumatizing,” he says. “Everybody there is either not working anymore or they took time for themselves. I haven’t taken time for myself because I am a single father and I have bills to pay. It triggered me to work on Sundays for a while. It's scary because this can happen anywhere.”
Two weeks ago, police arrested Joseph and charged him with murder for threatening violence. As he was walked by cameras, Joseph apologized to Shrewsbury's family but said he didn't know where Roberson was.
Carlos is frustrated his friend’s killer still hasn’t been caught.
“They are all lying,” said Carlos. “If you’re going to tell someone, ‘You’re going to get shot,’ and expect nothing to happen to you, then you are living in your own crazy world. As far as the third person, who is now considered a ‘witness,’ if you were a witness, you should have never left the scene in the first place. I understand you’re scared, but you could have just stayed back. As far as the murderer is concerned, I could already tell something bad was going to happen with her. She was the main cause of the problem.”
Despite the suspect’s photos being plastered all over social media, police are still searching for Roberson.
Carlos is urging the suspect’s accomplices to do the right thing and turn her in.
"I know if I haven't slept right, nobody else is sleeping right if this murderer is still on the loose and this case isn't being resolved,” Carlos said.
If you know anything about Roberson's whereabouts, please call the San Antonio Police Department's Homicide Unit at 210-207-7365.