Shooting Incident in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Authorities have identified the person responsible for shooting three co-workers at a landscaping supply business in San Antonio on November 8. The suspect, Jose David Hernandez-Gallo, 21, was an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2019. He died on the same day from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police stated that the shooting occurred just before 8 a.m. at a company located on Stahl Road. While the three victims were tragically killed, several other employees managed to escape unharmed. The deceased were identified as Selvin Chacon, 48; his brother Sergio Chacon, 38; and Karen Bautista, 24.
As reported by KSAT News, Hernandez-Gallo, who also worked at the landscaping company, arrived and began shooting at his colleagues. All three victims were declared dead at the scene. Later that day, authorities found Hernandez-Gallo deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound nearby.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicated in a statement that the suspect was in the U.S. unlawfully. Hernandez-Gallo reportedly entered the country in April 2019 as a minor with family members. They were apprehended by Border Patrol but released after being instructed to attend an immigration hearing. ICE mentioned that Hernandez-Gallo and his family had not been in contact with authorities since 2022.
In 2019, over 800,000 undocumented immigrants were apprehended crossing the southern border. Despite stringent immigration policies during the Trump administration aimed at quickly removing unauthorized individuals, federal court mandates regarding the treatment of unaccompanied minors and families led to the release of many into the U.S.
In a notable 2015 ruling, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee expanded the interpretation of detention rules to apply not only to unaccompanied minors but also to those in family units.
A previous statute from 1997 limited the duration for which illegal minors could be detained by the Department of Homeland Security to 20 days. This ruling resulted in the release of numerous undocumented immigrants in 2019, as the process for refugee status determinations is often lengthy and complex. That year, family units represented a significant portion—almost 60 percent—of those apprehended by Border Patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border.
