Police: Man charged with murder after teen shot during drug deal in Williamson County
A man has been charged in the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy in a drug deal gone wrong in Williamson County, officials said.
Stephen Sanchez Jr., 21, of Austin was charged with murder, according to an arrest affidavit. Adrian Murillo Curiel was found dead with a gunshot wound to the chest on Sunday in the 1200 block of Oro Valley Trail in North Austin, the document said.
The Williamson County sheriff's office was notified about the event when it received a call at 7:11 p.m. Sunday about a shooting at 12713 Modena Trail, a short distance from where Curiel's body was found, according to the affidavit. A police officer found Curiel's body in the driver's seat of a Dodge Charger.
The car had crashed through a fence, knocked over a tree and ended up near the back door of a house, officials said.
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Two other people who had been in the car with Curiel were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening, according to the affidavit.
One of the passengers told a deputy that a man had contacted him through social media wanting to buy an ounce of marijuana, the document said. It said the passenger told the man that he would bring along Curiel, who was the supplier of the marijuana.
The passenger said they agreed to meet the customer near Pond Springs Elementary School, according to the document. After Curiel parked the car, the affidavit said, three men approached it and one of them fired a gun several times through the window.
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The passenger said Curiel then began to speed away while slumped over the wheel and then the car crashed, officials said.
The deputy then found out from Austin police that four men had arrived in a Honda at an Austin hospital at 7:40 p.m. and carried in a fifth man, later identified as Sanchez, with two gunshot wounds, the affidavit said.
Two members of hospital security tried to stop the Honda from leaving and were dragged a short distance before they were able to free themselves, according to the document.
Sanchez later told the deputy in the hospital that Curiel had previously robbed one of Sanchez's friends so Sanchez and his friends were going to rob Curiel, according to the affidavit.
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It said that Sanchez said he and a friend approached Curiel's vehicle with pistols in their hands and thought Curiel was reaching between his legs for a gun, so they both started shooting.
When the deputy asked Sanchez if he was shot by his friend or by Curiel, Sanchez said he did not know, the affidavit said.
Sanchez was being held Thursday at the Williamson County Jail with bail set at $500,000.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Man charged with death of teenager in drug deal gone wrong, police say
