A Texas teenager believed his girlfriend was cheating on him, so he and a friend allegedly went to his perceived romantic rival’s apartment and opened fire.
Police say they killed the wrong man and injured someone who was not their intended target.
Fernando Amaya and Christopher Portillo Luna, both 17, are charged with murder and other offenses in the death of 41-year-old Marcos Cotto Torres, according to a Houston police release.
On March 18, just before 1 a.m., cops responded to a report of a person down at an apartment complex in West Houston. When they arrived, they discovered that two men had been shot.
Paramedics found Cotto Torres unresponsive and lying in an upstairs bedroom with gunshot wounds to the back of his head and other parts of his body; he was pronounced dead. A second victim had sustained a gunshot wound to his buttocks. He was transported to the hospital for treatment.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, another occupant of the apartment stated that his younger sister, a minor, was dating Amaya. Police said his girlfriend was cheating on him with another man who lived in the apartment, but he escaped unharmed.
According to the affidavit, Amaya’s girlfriend later told detectives that he planned to shoot up the apartment before committing suicide.
Police allege that Amaya carried out her threat to shoot up the apartment. After the shooting, police said surveillance video showed the suspects fleeing in a white SUV owned by one of their family members.
According to police, investigators discovered 84 spent shell casings from an AK-style rifle. Local ABC affiliate KTRK captured images of the scene, which showed boarded-up windows and numerous bullet holes in concrete walls.
Police arrested Amaya hours after the shooting and took Portillo Luna into custody on Thursday. Both remain bars on bonds worth more than $1 million. Their next court date is set for April 29.
