Two teenagers from Texas have been arrested in connection with the death of a 25-year-old woman. The incident occurred when the pair allegedly fired over 100 rounds into her home, mistakenly believing it belonged to a rival gang member. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced the arrests during a press conference on Tuesday. The teenagers, aged 15 and 17, are facing charges of aggravated assault with a weapon and murder for the shooting that took place in October 2022. The older teen had even gone as far as challenging the county’s gang unit to catch him on social media.
The 15-year-old’s name was not released as he is being charged as a juvenile, while the 17-year-old is being charged as an adult. HuffPost has chosen not to disclose his name due to his status as a minor. A photo composite was shared, showing the victim, Novita Brazil, and the 17-year-old accused of killing her.
Brazil, a college student, was at her San Antonio home at the time of the shooting. Tragically, she was killed, and a 41-year-old Airbnb guest who was renting a room was injured. A GoFundMe page was created to honor Brazil, where loved ones described her as the “sweetest person you would ever meet.” The fundraiser mentioned that Brazil was married for three years, and her funeral was planned in Indonesia, her home country where her family still resides.
According to authorities, the teenagers, who were 16 and 14 at the time of the shooting, drove past Brazil’s home in a stolen vehicle and fired multiple rounds, believing that the occupants were members of a rival gang who had previously shot at them. They then fled in the stolen vehicle and discarded several firearms, including an assault-style rifle. The two were apprehended shortly after and later released on bail.
An arrest warrant had been issued for the 17-year-old last month, but he attempted to evade law enforcement by removing his ankle monitor. On social media, he allegedly wrote, “Tell everyone at gang unit I said catch me,” alongside a photo where he obscured his face with multiple firearms.
During his arrest on Tuesday, the 17-year-old was livestreaming on Facebook and taunting officers, according to authorities. The video, which was shown during Sheriff Salazar’s press conference, depicted the teenager laughing as he was being escorted by deputies. Sheriff Salazar described him as an “extremely cocky, very confident young man, confident that he’s going to take full advantage of the legal system.”
The 15-year-old was also taken into custody on Tuesday and livestreamed his own capture. Sheriff Salazar expressed his disbelief at the teenagers’ behavior, stating, “During that pursuit, he was actually on Instagram shooting a live video, knowing full well that he was running from the cops, knowing full well he was going to be arrested at any given time. It was just a big joke to them.”
Sheriff Salazar also mentioned that family members of the teenagers may face charges for harboring suspects and providing false information about their whereabouts. The 17-year-old’s arraignment is scheduled for December 1, according to court records.
