Man held in July killing at illegal gambling room
A San Antonio man was arrested in connection with a shooting in July at an illegal gambling room that left a man dead and the suspect’s stepdaughter hospitalized.
Alejandro Isaac, 52, was charged with murder in the death of 47-year-old Rudolph Alderete Jr.
On July 25, Alderete and a woman arrived at University Hospital, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Alderete was pronounced dead when he arrived, while the woman was shot in the ankle.
Police said the injured woman initially told them that she was at a house party where two men were arguing before gunshots were fired. But as police searched for a crime scene, they couldn’t find evidence that a party had occurred nor had they received any calls about shots being fired in the area where the woman said the party was, an affidavit supporting Isaac’s arrest said.
Police later learned, helped by an anonymous tip, that the shooting occurred at an illegal game room near SW Loop 410 and U.S. 90.
In the days after the shooting, several tipsters told investigators about a similar shooting in April at the same game room involving Alderete, Isaac and the injured woman’s brother.
When the woman’s brother was arrested by Texas Rangers shortly after the July shooting in connection with an unrelated robbery, he said that he and Isaac were involved in the shooting in April.
Subsequently, witnesses came forward who said that evidence of the fatal shooting was still in the game room, and police obtained a search warrant for the room. Inside, they found human blood and retrieved a projectile from a wall.
Meanwhile, another anonymous witness provided video footage that showed Isaac shooting Alderete, court documents said.
On the video, Isaac was at the game room with the injured woman and her mother when Alderete approached Isaac and tried to shake his hand. Isaac then withdrew a handgun and pointed it at Alderete’s head and neck area, the affidavit said.
The video showed Alderete reacting to the handgun before Isaac shot him in the chest, the documents said. A fight ensued between the two, and at least two more shots were fired, hitting the woman and hitting Alderete again.
Also, during the fight, the woman’s mother was seen hitting Alderete in the head with a folding chair.
In the video, Alderete also withdraws a handgun after being shot by Isaac, but police are unsure whether he fired it.
Nearly a month after the shooting, police picked up Isaac from his home and questioned him at Public Safety Headquarters. He initially denied being involved in either shooting, but after being shown the surveillance video of the July shooting, he said he shot in self-defense and that Alderete had two weapons and fired shots.
Isaac also said that his gun didn’t fire when he pulled the trigger.
He eventually told the police that the April shooting stemmed from a disagreement over a parking space, but he did not give a reason for the July shooting.
Isaac told police that he would bring the firearm, his cellphone, a DNA sample and the people involved in the shooting to police headquarters, but he never did, the affidavit said.
Isaac was charged on Monday. He is being held on a $175,000 bond.