In the afternoon hours of Friday, June 19, 2026, the life of 36-year-old David Alai Rodriguez Cabrera was tragically cut short in the backyard of his West Side San Antonio home. Emergency services were summoned to the residence in the 900 block of South San Augustine Avenue around 2:45 p.m. following reports from multiple callers about hearing approximately five gunshots and seeing a man lying on the ground.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered Rodriguez Cabrera deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing a man dressed in black walking away from the area after the shots were fired.
The investigation into Rodriguez Cabrera's death took a sudden and unexpected turn the very next day. A 36-year-old man named Julio Castro, who had been living with the victim, approached San Antonio police officers who were responding to an unrelated call. Castro flagged down the officers and stated that he wanted to turn himself in, admitting that he had "done something" while under the influence of narcotics. He confessed to shooting his friend, with whom he lived, after an alleged argument. Castro was subsequently arrested and charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of David Alai Rodriguez Cabrera. At the scene of the crime, investigators recovered several spent. 357 shell casings and a Glock Model 31. 357-caliber firearm, which was consistent with Castro's admission.
During questioning, Julio Castro provided investigators with conflicting accounts of the events that led to Rodriguez Cabrera's death. In one version, he claimed that he and the victim were using drugs when he felt that his friend was going to shoot him, prompting him to fire his own weapon in self-defense, though no firearm was found on Rodriguez Cabrera's person. In another account, Castro alleged that the victim had brought him food and he wanted to demonstrate how his gun worked. He claimed he leaned back, and a single shot went off, striking Rodriguez Cabrera. Surveillance video from the property captured both men in the backyard moments before the shooting, with no apparent altercation taking place. After the shooting, the video reportedly showed Castro walking away while drinking a beer can before disposing of it. The case against Castro is now proceeding through the legal system, with the initial arrest and confession forming the foundation of the prosecution's case.
