Two Suspected Dead in North San Angelo Shootout

A shootout at the corner of 13th Street and Martin Luther King Drive around 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning led to the untimely death of two twenty-something males, and the injury of a third man after an altercation that started elsewhere says the owner of Richard’s Bar.

“When we were already about to start closing, I noticed that people were starting to walk out and I heard people screaming, and I looked to see what [happened], and I see my friend, laying there,” she says.

The owner of Richard’s says the altercation started at another bar, “I guess the people waited for him ‘cause it didn’t happen in here…there was no altercation of any sort,” she said.

Immediately following the gunfire, which began in the intersection directly across from the bar, the owner called the police and began ushering people back inside.

“I call the cops and I tell my waitress, you know, stay on the phone with them because I heard another shot…[and I] make sure that no one else was outside. And I come out and my other friend is right there, she says.

“The people, they leave, and I didn’t even get a good look because everything happened so fast. I just ran and tried to start performing CPR on him and my husband saw that I was freaking out and I tried to help him, but…”

The owner says that the gunmen were shooting wildly, however only the two men were hit. One was shot on the sidewalk, the other in the street near the crossing from which the gunmen fired.

“That person just started shooting everywhere,” she says. “They (the victims) were taken to the hospital—they were still breathing when they were here, now that’s something that I don’t know—if they passed away in the ambulance or over there, I don’t know, “she says.

The two men were regulars of the location, the owner says, and had never caused any trouble in the bar. She describes the night as a normal one, without any altercations or indicators of how it would unfold. The owner reports that the two men died sometime after transport, however confirmation could not be made at time of publication.

“They were good people, they were young,” she said. “They’ve been coming here for years--since they were little kids—and play pool when my grandmother owned the bar. They were locals kids that grew up [around here]. Very respectful, hard workers, we never had problems with them, ever, and it’s just a shock. They were my friends.”

According to the owner of Richard’s, one of the young men worked in construction and the other at a restaurant in Wall. No further information is available at this point. 

Several sources have confirmed the deaths, but there has been no official confirmation. Until official confirmation, we are reporting this as "suspected" deaths.

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.

Sources say that the ongoing San Angelo Police SWAT operations right now are related to this story.

UPDATE 5:38 p.m.

The shooter is identified by San Angelo Police as Jessie Fitchett. Fitchett was involved in a stand-off with San Angelo Police SWAT teams at a house just north of downtown San Angelo Saturday afternoon. Police say Fitchett took his own life and was found inside the house with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Police are investigating if Fitchett acted alone. Police also confirmed that a third man was injured in the shootout. He suffered non life-threatening injuries and is said to be fine.

UPDATE 1/12/2014 at 9:27 a.m.

Listen to audio of a Richard's Bar patron as he describes the bar scene before and after the shootings.

UPDATE 1/12/2014 at 11:05 a.m.

The San Angelo gunman had a criminal history

UPDATE 1/12/2014 4:05 p.m.

San Angelo Police have identified the two gunshot victims as Ely Del Rio, 23, and Raul "Roy" Rodriguez, 20. A third man, 61, was injured and not identified by name. He is expected to survive.