Teen Indicted for Blood Bank Shooting

SAN ANGELO— The San Angelo teenager who shot a man at the Biomat Blood Bank has been indicted.

Matthew Zaruba, 18, has been indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury on two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and two counts of Deadly Conduct by Discharging a Firearm.

According to court documents, on September 29, 2023, at 4:06 p.m., San Angelo police and other law enforcement agencies responded to the Biomat Blood Bank, located at 2575 Sunset Drive regarding a shooting victim. The victim was found laying in the middle of Sunset Drive and was taken to Shannon Medical Center where he was treated for a gunshot wound in his chest.

Officers located the suspect, identified as Zaruba, after he fled the scene. He was apprehended down the street from the crime scene in the Sedona Ranch Apartment’s parking lot. A handgun was recovered near where Zaruba was caught.

Security footage was reviewed from the Biomat Blood Bank. The footage showed Zaruba walking away from the victim then turning back towards him in the waiting room. Then, Zaruba displayed a handgun and fired four times at the victim while he was still inside the blood bank’s waiting area. The victim ran out Biomat’s front door.

Exterior camera footage showed the victim running away from Zaruba into the parking lot where Zaruba fired seven more shots at the victim. Zaruba also shot two parked cars and an occupied home across the street.

Several other individuals were inside the blood bank when Zaruba opened fired at the victim, but no one was injured.

The video taken in the shopping center parking lot showed Zaruba stop firing the handgun and then flee towards Sedona Ranch Apartments. He dropped his cellphone while running away.

A witness from inside the blood bank lobby said that while he was waiting to be called back, a man came from the back of the building and was very confrontational towards the victim. The witness then said that Zaruba said something to the effect of “What did you say” towards the victim. Then, Zaruba produced a handgun and fired four to six shots at the victim as he was running out of the building. After both the victim and Zaruba were out of the building, the witness saw Zaruba run towards Celebration Church, which is in the same direction as Sedona Ranch Apartments.

Zaruba was interviewed and waived his Miranda Rights. He allegedly said that he had a verbal altercation with the victim inside the blood bank. Zaruba knew the victim from a previous altercation a year ago and at first, Zaruba was going to fight the victim, but he ended up pulling out a handgun and shooting the victim. Gunshot residue was located on Zaruba’s right hand.

The victim required emergency medical surgery for one gunshot wound to the chest and the one bullet was lodged in the victim’s chest cavity.

Zaruba was arrested and booked into the Tom Green County Jail on September 29, 2023, and is currently an inmate being held on $600,533 bond.