In the early hours of July 19, 2025, Alek Pacheco, 20, a male from San Marcos, was caught in chaos that erupted in the heart of the city’s downtown Square at San Antonio and Guadalupe streets. Police say a fight between two men who knew each other spilled into the street around 1:30 a.m. A third person jumped into the fray after a necklace was stolen, and moments later gunfire ripped through the crowd.
Two people were struck: 24-year-old Anthony Barrera died at the scene, and Alek Pacheco, 20, was rushed to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Marcos, where he was pronounced dead. A third person was grazed and treated and released. Authorities emphasized there was no continuing threat to the public once the area was secured.
Investigators quickly focused on a 19-year-old they say opened fire during the melee. By that evening, San Marcos police had arrested Jermiah Jayden Tobias, 19, and booked him on two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated assault. Police later announced the capture of a second suspect, Avery Saul Bowman Jr., 19, who had been the subject of a community alert; he was booked into the Hays County Jail in the days that followed. Detectives credited tips from witnesses and Crime Stoppers for helping track Bowman down as the investigation continued.
Accounts from local outlets and the police indicate that Alek Pacheco, 20, was not one of the original combatants; he was struck amid the sudden burst of gunfire as the brawl escalated. The early police timeline framed the violence as an altercation that turned deadly after the reported theft of a necklace and the arrival of additional participants, culminating in multiple shots fired and the swift flight and later arrest of the alleged gunman.
In the days after the shooting, family members described the loss of Alek Pacheco, 20, as devastating, gathering the community for support while funeral arrangements were set. Public obituaries confirmed that Alek Pacheco, 20, died from the fatal shooting in downtown San Marcos on July 19, 2025; services were organized through Thomason Funeral Home in San Marcos. These notices, alongside local reporting, formed the formal public record of his death and the unfolding criminal case.
By week’s end, the picture that emerged from official statements and news reports was stark: Alek Pacheco, 20, lost his life in a downtown street fight turned double homicide; one alleged shooter, Jermiah Jayden Tobias, 19, was arrested the night of the killings on capital murder charges, and a second suspect, Avery Saul Bowman Jr., 19, was arrested days later as detectives worked leads from the public. The investigation remained active, with authorities urging anyone with photos, videos, or information to come forward.
