Suspect Arrested After Man Shot While Celebrating Birthday

SAN ANGELO, TX — An arrest has been made in connection to the August shooting on Avenue J.

Nathaniel Alvarado, 24, of San Angelo, was arrested for by the San Angelo Police Department for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting a man with an AR-style rifle on Avenue J in August.

According to court documents, on Aug. 22, around 8:36 p.m., San Angelo police were dispatched to the unit block of Avenue J regarding a shooting victim. The investigator was contacted and told that the victim was being transported to Shannon Medical Center by ambulance.

The victim had been shot in the right hip and was being prepped for surgery and was eventually transported via care flight to a separate hospital.

The investigator responded to the scene of the shooting and spoke with a witness who said he was inside his residence with the victim and other individuals. The witness said that the victim arrived with an AR-style rifle with a green bandana on the magazine. This weapon was believed to be the one the victim was shot with according to this witness.

Surveillance footage was observed, and in the recording the victim is seen on the front porch bleeding profusely from his right leg. The investigator also observed Alvarado appearing to help the victim.

That same night, a search warrant was executed for the Avenue J residence, where a black AR-style rifle with a magazine wrapped in a green bandana was located. Also found was a spent cartridge that matched the live rounds inside the firearm, and a substantial amount of blood was observed that led from just inside the bedroom door to the front yard of the house.

On Aug. 24, the investigator responded to University Hospital in San Antonio to speak with the victim. He appeared alert and was recovering from surgery. The investigator learned that the victim and other individuals were celebrating the victim’s birthday, and that he brought his firearm with him.

At one point, the victim, the witness and Alvarado were in the bedroom when the victim heard a gunshot, looked down and saw that he was bleeding before realizing he had been shot. The victim did not know who shot him, but he did know it was not the witness as he was facing him and talking to him when it happened.

On Aug. 25, the investigator spoke with Alvarado and learned that Alvarado had touched the weapon multiple times before the shooting. When asked if he had possession of the firearm when the victim was shot, Alvarado hesitated to answer. At first, Alvarado stated he did not know who shot the victim, just that the gun went off. When asked if Alvarado had the gun when it went off, he stated, “Yeah, it was an accident."

Alvarado was arrested on Friday, Oct. 2, and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance. His bond has been set at $85,000.