On January 27, 2022, 20-year-old Jose Rangel Mata, a Hispanic male, was fatally shot in a parking lot in Southeast Austin, Texas. Mata was inside a vehicle when an unidentified suspect approached him, demanded money, and then shot him before fleeing on foot. Despite being transported to a nearby minor emergency clinic, Mata succumbed to his injuries approximately 20 minutes after the shooting.
Following the incident, the Austin Police Department launched an investigation and released a
description of the suspect: a Black male in his early 20s, approximately 6 feet tall, with a thin to medium build, short hair, and prescription glasses. The suspect was last seen running into the Ballpark North Apartments at 4600 Elmont Drive.
On February 8, 2022, Kendall Iwuagwu, a 20-year-old male, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Mata's death. Iwuagwu was taken into custody by the Lonestar Fugitive Task Force and booked into the Travis County Jail with a bond set at $1 million. Witnesses reported that Iwuagwu had demanded money from Mata before shooting him.
The case remains under investigation, and the Austin Police Department continues to seek additional information from the public to aid in the prosecution of Iwuagwu. The tragic death of Jose Rangel Mata marked Austin's 10th homicide of 2022.
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