UPDATE:
Francisco Espinoza, 26, of Taft, was arrested in connection to a shooting that left one man dead and another man seriously
injured on March 11, 2024, in Port Aransas.
Francisco Espinoza was arrested at a residence in the 600 Block of Deloris Street, Taft, Texas.
Espinoza is charged with the murder of Kristopher Welder, a felony in the first degree, and his bond is set at $750,000 for the Murder. Espinoza is also charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, a felony in the second degree, for the shooting of a nineteen-year-old Alice man as well. His bond is set at $250,000 for that charge.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident and was booked into the San Patricio County Jail.
ORIGINAL:
One man is dead, and another is hospitalized after being shot at a Port Aransas beach.
According to a press release sent out by the Port Aransas Police Department, just before midnight, Port Aransas Police and deputies with Nueces County Constable Precinct 4 were dispersing a large crowd near Marker 42 Tuesday morning.
When officers heard gunshots nearby, the crowd began running. When officers approached, they found a white male, later identified as a 22-year-old Ingleside man, who had been shot in the chest.
"As they approached the crowd, the crowd began to scatter in multiple directions. They came across a man who appeared to have a gunshot wound to his chest. The officers immediately began first aid,” Scott Burroughs, Port Aransas Police Chief, said.
About six minutes later, someone called 911 to report shots fired near Marker 27, near Beach Access Road 1.
“While that was going on, we got a separate report of shots fired near Marker 27, which is near access road one. It turns out, as officers responded to that call, it turns out, it was actually a second victim from the shooting at Marker 42, and it was not a separate shooting."
Officers then found a 19-year-old Alice man who had been shot in the abdomen. He had also been shot near Marker 42, but a friend had taken him to Marker 27.
Both victims were taken to Corpus Christi Medical Center's Bay Area Hospital in Corpus Christi. The Ingleside man was pronounced dead at the hospital. As of Tuesday morning, the Alice man was undergoing surgery and is expected to survive.
According to the release, the details are preliminary. Investigators believe the suspect and the victim from Ingleside knew each other. There's no word on whether the victim from Alice knew the suspect.
The suspect is still at large.
“We’re working several leads on that. We believe that we can get him identified,” Chief Burroughs said.
The suspect is described as a heavy-set, light-complected white Hispanic male who was last seen driving a gray or silver vehicle believed to be a newer model BMW with dark rims.
The Port Aransas Police Department does not believe that the shootings were related to Spring Break.
“It’s not really Spring break related. It’s a couple bad actors down there engaged in behaviors that are not consistent with what we normally see during Spring break, Chief Burroughs said. “I mean, we’re always dealing with rowdy crowds and drunks on the beach. But even then, they have become very confined over the years. And there’s plenty of beach area that are away from the rowdies.”
However, many people visiting for Spring Break are concerned about their safety after this incident.
“A little antsy. Being that my children are out and about and being that we’re at the place where it happened, it’s a little frightening,” Tyler Wood, a visitor for Spring Break, said.
Fourteen-year-old Sophia Gee is visiting Port Aransas this week with her family from San Antonio and saw the incident unfold from their condo across the street.
“I felt nervous because, like, we were so close that something could have happened to us if we were out a little later,” Gee said.
The Port Aransas Police Department asks that if anyone has any information on any potential suspects, to call them immediately at 361-749-6241.
