On August 7, 2023, at approximately 5:45 a.m., San Angelo police officers responded to a report of a shooting victim on the 600 block of East 34th Street. Upon arrival, they discovered 19-year-old Jacob Hernandez lying face down in the street, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. Nearby, officers recovered five spent .45 caliber Hornady cartridge cases.
Investigators obtained video and audio recordings from a bystander present at the time of the incident.
The footage captured three audible gunshots, followed by two individuals fleeing westbound on East 34th Street. A neighborhood canvass revealed text messages indicating a dispute between Hernandez and 18-year-old Kristopher Lozano. Approximately an hour before the shooting, Hernandez had expressed a willingness to confront Lozano over disrespectful comments.
Further examination of Hernandez's tablet, his primary means of communication, uncovered Instagram messages exchanged with the profile "kris.223," alleged to belong to Lozano. Around 3:36 a.m., Lozano suggested a physical confrontation, to which Hernandez responded defiantly just minutes before the shooting occurred.
Later that evening, a Glock 36 .45 caliber handgun was found under suspicious circumstances on the 400 block of East 23rd Street. The firearm was identified as belonging to Nicholas Martinez, who confirmed that Lozano had visited his residence around 4 a.m. A CSI technician verified that the ammunition brand in the handgun matched the spent cartridges found at the crime scene.
On August 8, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant at Martinez's residence, seizing electronic devices and clothing with possible blood stains. Interviews revealed that Hernandez and Lozano had planned to meet for a physical confrontation, and that Lozano had enlisted Martinez, who had access to a firearm, for the encounter.
Nicholas Martinez was arrested for murder on August 25, 2023, and remains detained at the Tom Green County Jail. Kristopher Lozano was arrested for murder on September 27, 2023, by the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office and is also currently detained at the same facility.
Both suspects were indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury for murder. Court documents detail the events leading up to the shooting, including the digital exchanges and the retrieval of the firearm linked to the crime. The investigation underscores the role of social media interactions and premeditated plans in the tragic death of Jacob Hernandez.
