MANOR, Texas — An affidavit obtained by KVUE details how Manor police came to arrest 25-year-old Juan Acuna-Gaona in connection with a deadly shooting in a Walmart parking lot last week.
The affidavit states that at around 4 a.m., police officers arrived at the Walmart located at 11923 E. US 290. They located a man with apparent gunshot wounds on the roadway, near the passenger side of a white Ford truck that had its driver-side door open.
The man, later identified as 19-year-old Luis Frias-Hernandez, was declared dead at the scene.
Later that morning, the affidavit states that Manor police received an anonymous tip from a woman who said her employee had called her "screaming," stating that her boyfriend had killed someone in Manor. The caller identified the employee, and police went to her residence to speak with her.
The affidavit states that the woman told police that her new boyfriend – later identified as Acuna-Gaona – had shot and killed someone in the Walmart parking lot in Manor. She said her boyfriend was dropping her off at her vehicle so she could drive home when a white truck parked next to them.
At that time, the woman said the man driving the truck got out and began moving what appeared to be a heavy black trash bag. The woman said the driver then got back into the truck and began driving around the parking lot erratically. She said the truck then drove onto the raised landscape area in front of their vehicles and parked.
The woman said the driver then got out of his truck and began walking toward where she was sitting in her vehicle and where her boyfriend was standing at her driver-side window. She said she legally possesses a gun that she keeps in her vehicle and she "racked" her gun because she was afraid. She said her boyfriend also had a gun and "racked" his as well.
The woman said that when the driver of the truck got out of his vehicle, she saw something in his hand that she believed was a gun. The affidavit states that police did not find any guns at the scene.
The woman told police at that time, her boyfriend began shooting at the driver of the truck, later identified as Frias-Hernandez. She said Frias-Hernandez still took a step toward them after he was shot, so her boyfriend continued shooting.
The woman told police that she couldn't provide fully identifying information for her boyfriend because they had only been dating for two weeks and met on a dating app. She did, however, provide photos and a phone number. She told police she calls her boyfriend "Rich," but his Snapchat name is "Juan G."
Police were able to use phone records to link that account to Juan Acuna-Gaona.
The affidavit states that video at the Walmart corroborated the woman's story. A police officer contacted Acuna-Gaona, and he confirmed he was involved in the shooting. He stated he would provide a statement because it was "self-defense."
Manor police said officers arrested Acuna-Gaona without incident. As of Tuesday, he remains booked in the Travis County Jail, charged with first-degree murder. His bond has been set at $250,000.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call the Manor Police Department at 512-272-8177 or email Police@manortx.gov.