Suspect in fatal shooting near UCF identified

Police helped identify the suspect in the January fatal shooting of a 23-yearold man at an apartment complex near UCF through his tattoo of his last name, according to newly released records which detail the moments leading up to the shooting.

Mauricio Antonio Castro Jr., 23, faces a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Jesus Armando Calle at a party at the Plaza on University Apartments early Jan. 3.

Deputies arrived at the complex around 4:30 a.m. after callers reported Calle had been shot by an unknown man.

“We were at a party, I walked in [and] he’s on the ground, unconscious with a bullet hole in his [expletive] neck,” a caller said, according to records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. “... I don’t know who did this.”

Calle was taken to AdventHealth Waterford Lakes and pronounced dead shortly afterward.

In Castro’s arrest affidavit, deputies noted they found beer and liquor bottles and blood in the apartment, and a bullet casing was found in the kitchen area where Calle was shot.

Witnesses told deputies they saw two men punching each other during an argument in the kitchen before one, later identified as Castro, pulled a black gun from his pants, fired a single round at Calle and left the apartment, the affidavit said.

They told police the shooter called himself “Lito” or “Papilito” and had a tattoo with red lettering.

Surveillance video captured the shooter walking to his car. A tattoo reading “Castro” on his forearm was visible in the footage, an investigator wrote in the affidavit.

On Feb. 17, a man called 911 from outside an Oviedo barber shop and said he saw the man who killed his friend, Calle, inside the shop, records show. The caller said he left the party prior to the shooting but recognized the suspect from the gathering and wanted posters on social media, the affidavit said.

Oviedo police arrived to detain Castro at the barber shop. They used his tattoo and car to identify him as the suspected shooter, according to the affidavit.

Castro was taken to the Seminole County Jail before being transferred to the Orange County Jail on Tuesday, where he’s being held without bond.

In an interview with Oviedo police, Castro said he met people at the Knights Pub who invited him to a nearby house party. He told investigators he did not know Calle, but Calle approached him at the party and tried to sell him marijuana, which he said was “disrespectful,” according to an affidavit.

He said Calle then lifted his shirt and punched Castro, who hit him back, records show. The two wrestled and Castro grabbed the gun from his pants, firing once at Calle before leaving the party.

Castro told investigators he shot Calle because he thought Calle or his friends had a gun, the affidavit said. Records show police did not find a gun near Calle.

Xavier Parrilla, Calle’s friend of three years, said in an interview that Calle’s death is the latest tragic development in the local community’s struggle with gun violence.

“[Jesus’ death] was a huge shock for us,” Parrilla said. “… He wasn’t out there making some kind of mischief. He was just trying to have a good time and was thinking about leaving before he was shot.”

Parrilla, 27, said he and another friend were shot at a bonfire with friends in early December by an acquaintance, leaving them both with lingering injuries. Parrilla said he was shot in the arm and the bullet grazed his chest.

Several people in Parrilla and Calle’s social circle have had similar brushes with gun violence in recent months, he said.

“It’s defeating, because of just how prominent guns are out here ... we’ve got to worry about this all the time,” he said. “... Guns are still just everywhere in the neighborhood. … I don’t know what it is, but there definitely needs to be some kind of gun reform.”