Anthony Barrera, 24, a male, was killed in downtown San Marcos, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 19, 2025. Police say the violence erupted around 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of San Antonio and Guadalupe Streets, a nightlife hub known locally as The Square. Responding officers found Barrera mortally wounded; he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hays County Justice of the Peace.
A second victim, 20-year-old Alek Pacheco, was rushed to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Marcos and later died. A third person was struck by a grazing bullet, treated, and released.
Investigators quickly began piecing together a chaotic altercation that started as a fight between two men who knew each other. According to police, the confrontation escalated when a third man joined in after stealing a necklace from one of the original fighters. Amid the brawl, multiple shots were fired, striking Barrera and Pacheco; both sustained gunshot wounds to the head, according to the police chief. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the public after the immediate response cleared the scene.
By that evening, officers had arrested 19-year-old Jermiah Jayden Tobias. He was booked on two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting. In the hours and days that followed, detectives appealed to the public for photos and video and sought to identify a witness believed to have recorded the fight. Police later announced a second suspect: 19-year-old Avery Saul Bowman Jr., taken into custody and booked into the Hays County Jail. Officials indicated Bowman could face capital murder charges tied to the alleged robbery that precipitated the gunfire.
Authorities said eight rounds were fired during the melee, and court and jail records noted Bowman had been out on bond on unrelated cases earlier in July. As the investigation continued, Barrera’s family publicly mourned his loss and called for accountability for everyone involved. Community tips, Crime Stoppers, and the witness identification were credited by police for helping bring the second suspect into custody while detectives continued to develop the case.
