New details revealed in San Angelo hotel shooting death of Winters man, 2 indicted
SAN ANGELO — Court documents on a Lubbock teen charged in the San Angelo shooting death of a Winters man, have revealed new details regarding marijuana, a wanted man and events leading to the shooting.
According to court documents released Tuesday, Sept. 28, two men have been indicted in connection to Daniel Chandler's death - Joshua Tyler Garcia, 19, and Cody Ray Salazar, 31. The indictments charge them with murder, a first-degree felony punishable by 5-99 years in jail and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
A court date has been tentatively set for Salazar in October and no court dates have been scheduled for Garcia as of 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to online court records.
More: San Angelo man arrested after drive-by-shooting in College Hills; police chase at apartment
What happened to Daniel Chandler?
About 1:16 a.m. June 28, police arrived to a shooting at Inn of the Conchos, 2021 N. Bryant Blvd. In one of the rooms, officers found Chandler lying on the floor with gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen. His shirt was "soaked in … blood," and "numerous" used cartridge cases were on the floor, according to court documents.
Police interviewed several witnesses, one of whom was a woman who rented the room for the night. She said she told Salazar she would be staying there, and he and Garcia came by. Another man and a woman also arrived at the room, records state.
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The women told officers Salazar told everyone to leave the room "because he had some business he had to take care of." The other man said he had left the room to smoke before he heard "muffled gunshots," according to the arrest affidavit.
Investigators believe after the two women and man left the room, Chandler, a woman who identified herself as his girlfriend to police and another man entered the room. The woman told officers they had gone to the motel "to purchase some marijuana," according to court documents.
The man who entered the room with Chandler and the woman told officers the woman had contacted him, asking to purchase "an amount of narcotics." He used social media to contact another woman to arrange a transaction.
When they entered the motel room, Garcia closed the door and pulled out a gun. He told them to "give (him) all their money and bags," records state. Salazar also pulled out a gun, and Chandler attempted to draw a gun as well and was shot, according to the woman.
Garcia then grabbed the woman's bags and the man's money and narcotics, then fled with Salazar. The woman tried to stop the bleeding, then ran to the office to call for emergency assistance, according to the affidavit.
Additional interviews reveal teen wanted in Lubbock shooting at San Angelo residence
The woman who was contacted about arranging a deal told officers she drove Salazar to another woman's residence. The resident told officers Garcia, who was known as "The Kid" or "J," had been living at her residence for three months, according to an arrest affidavit.
At the residence, Salazar said he "had to go get some money from someone who owed him." He asked the resident if he could use her pickup, and she didn't want him to, so Garcia offered to drive the pickup, records state.
The two left and after the shooting, Garcia told the resident they went to a motel room and "someone died," according to court documents.
At the time of the shooting, Garcia was wanted by Lubbock police.
According to Lubbock court documents, on Jan. 18, 2021, Lubbock police arrived to a vehicle burglary call, which became a chase on 45th Street. Garcia was a passenger in the vehicle and shot at pursuing officers. No officers were injured, but a patrol car was disabled. The vehicle with Garcia and an unknown driver was found abandoned on 36th Street, according to court documents.
Men arrested in Ballinger, Lubbock in connection to homicide
On July 5, 2021, the San Angelo Police Department, Tom Green County Sheriff's Office and Runnels County Sheriff's Office arrested Salazar, who they suspected in the shooting. They found him at the Shoppin' Basket, 610 Hutchins Ave., in Ballinger.
Salazar was arrested on suspicion of murder, in addition to going off bond for credit or debit card abuse, possession of marijuana and evading arrest detention. He remained in Tom Green County Detention Center in lieu of a bond as of noon Tuesday, according to online jail records.
In 2019, Salazar pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run crash in San Angelo, which left three passengers seriously injured. 391st District Court Judge Brad Goodwin sentenced him to 2 years in jail, according to online court records.
On July 12, 2021, Garcia was charged on suspicion of murder, after being arrested in Lubbock in connection to shooting at officers.
Case coverage timeline:
July 13, 2021: Details emerge in San Angelo shooting death of Daniel Chandler; two arrests in 2 weeks
July 12, 2021: Teen accused of shooting at Lubbock police also charged in unrelated San Angelo killing
July 12, 2021: Second person charged in connection to shooting death of Winters man in San Angelo
July 6, 2021: San Angelo man charged in connection to shooting death of Winters man, arrested in Ballinger
June 28, 2021: Police investigating homicide in San Angelo on Monday
Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: 2 indicted in San Angelo death of Winters man; details released
