Alleged ‘Snapchat shooter’ in court
22-year-old man maintains innocence after being accused of firing gun in Heights area
Edwin Ospino thinks the media is making too much of his random shooting, but his alleged firing of shots at homes near a Heights-area park was posted to Snapchat and led to his arrest on felony charges.
The 22-year-old man allegedly caught on social media firing a semi-automatic pistol last week maintained his innocence outside a Harris County courtroom Monday.
“I’m not who you all are making me out to be,” Edwin Ospino said before being arraigned by state District Judge George Powell.
It is the second Houston shooting posted to social media that resulted in charges in three months.
In and out of court Monday, Ospino seemed more interested in building a following for his aspiring music career than in explaining what happened. Instead of answering questions from reporters, he said people should follow him on social media, where he recently posted videos about releasing music.
Ospino arrived with his 20-yearold brother, Christopher, who was wearing a T-shirt with Ospino’s Snapchat handle “@MixBreedPapi” written across the front. On the social media platform, he encouraged followers to use the hashtag #SnapchatShooter.
Ospino said little else as he arrived to court on a charge of deadly conduct in connection with a shooting recorded on Snapchat near Cottage Grove Park on Nov. 20 around 10:15 p.m.
After the brief hearing, Ospino declined to comment to reporters. Instead, he walked away from several TV cameras and opened the Snapchat app on his phone to record a message to his followers. He told them not to believe what they had heard about his case.
Ospino was arrested Wednesday after a tip to Crime Stoppers, which offered a $5,000 reward for information, according to the Houston Police Department.
Authorities investigating reports about the shooting saw the viral video and arrested Ospino, accusing him of recklessly shooting at a building without regard to the possibility of people inside. If convicted of the third-degree felony, he could face 10 years in prison.
On Monday, Ospino was free on a $20,000 bail, a high amount requested by prosecutors because Ospino was on probation for resisting arrest.
The judge put several conditions on his bond, including random drug testing, a curfew and the prohibition of possessing firearms.
The social media post is the second high-profile Snapchat arrest in three months.
In a separate case in September, Houston rapper “Money Mike” and a woman companion were allegedly depicted on a Snapchat video firing shots from a car as they drove through a west Houston neighborhood. Michael Anthony Cuellar, 29, and Sierra Tarbutton, 27, were charged with felony criminal mischief and deadly conduct for their actions. Those cases are still pending.