Augustine Sendejo

A case of mistaken identify leaves a young man dead
Augustine Sendejo III was a 14-year-old aspiring boxer and a student at Southside High School in San Antonio, Texas. A Hispanic teenager, he was close to his family and spent his time helping his father, Augustine Sendejo II, build a new home for them on the city's Southeast Side. He had already picked out his future bedroom on the second floor. He grew up with his cousin, Betty Sendejo, who was five years older and remembered him fondly. His uncle, George Sendejo, was also a constant presence in his life.

On the evening of Tuesday, March 21, 1995, a gang-related skirmish had unfolded in Augustine’s neighborhood. Friends of Augustine had been in a run-in with gang members where gunshots were exchanged, although no one was hurt. Later, a man with a weapon reportedly came to the Sendejo home looking for someone who didn't live there. Shortly after 8 p.m., Augustine left his house to visit a friend who lived nearby. As he stood on the sidewalk in the 1300 block of San Rafael Street, a vehicle drove by and someone inside fired a single shot.

The bullet struck Augustine in the side. He stumbled across the street and collapsed in front of his family’s home. His uncle, George, who suffered from paralysis due to polio, hurried outside with his cane to find his nephew lying in a pool of blood. Augustine’s cousin Betty also ran to his side. George held the dying boy in his arms, begging him, "No, no, don't, please don't go." Augustine died moments later in the middle of the street. "They just shot him in the back," his father later said. "They didn't know who they shot."

The suspect vehicle fled east on San Rafael. Police were given a description of a dark-colored, late 1970s to early 1980s Chevrolet Suburban or Blazer, possibly a black Bronco. The vehicle was described as having four KC lights on its roof, large mud tires, dark-tinted windows, and a loud exhaust. Betty Sendejo also told reporters she saw boys running past after the shooting, hiding guns in their jeans.

The San Antonio Police Department launched a homicide investigation. Detectives quickly came to believe that Augustine was not the intended target and was killed in a tragic case of mistaken identity. The theory is that the shooter was likely retaliating for the earlier gang altercation and mistook Augustine for one of the individuals involved. Despite this lead and a description of the vehicle, no arrests have ever been made.

The profound loss devastated the Sendejo family. Augustine's father could not bring himself to live in the house his son had helped him build. For decades, the family has carried the weight of his unsolved murder. "I think about it every day, every day of my life," his uncle George said on the 20th anniversary of the shooting. The family believes that people in the community have information about the killer's identity. "I know there were several people involved, that they're covering up for each other," Augustine's father said.

The case remains an open and active investigation with the San Antonio Police Department's Cold Case Squad. As of January 2017, Augustine Sendejo's killer has not been brought to justice. The family continues to beg for new leads that might finally solve the case that has haunted them for decades. Anyone with information is urged to call SAPD homicide detectives at 210-207-7635.