The Houston police have finally pressed murder charges against a gunman said to be behind the slaying of a 17-year-old sports fan a month ago. The teenager was shot when he came out after watching an Astros game on July 6.
The suspect, 34-year-old Gerald Wayne Williams, who was positively identified by witnesses as the one who shot and killed the victim, David Castro. Unfortunately, Williams remains at large and believed to be armed and dangerous.
A whopping $10,000 reward has been offered by the Crime Stoppers for anyone who may have information that would lead to William’s arrest.
Interestingly, the suspect turned out to have been convicted in 2008 for two counts of aggravated robbery and illegal possession of a deadly weapon. He was released in October last year after spending 13 years behind bars for the criminal charges for which he was sentenced to a jail term.
Prior to his 2008 conviction, Williams also figured in a string of robbery cases in relation to three hold-up incidents of Family Dollar stores.
Moments after hearing what he has long been waiting for, Paul Castro, the victim’s dad, applauded the investigators. He, however, said that it doesn’t stop there as the suspect remains on the loose — armed and dangerous.
“Our family is thankful for Chief (Troy) Finner and his detectives who have worked tirelessly to identify this suspect. We ask Houston and the community to help in finding the suspect so he can be brought to justice,” the elder Castro said.
Houston police earlier released a new video that saw the suspect roaming on the streets of downtown Houston in his car.
Meanwhile, crime incidents in the vicinity of Minute Maid Park were found to be higher than what had been logged prior to the onset of the pandemic. Figures are also significantly higher during game days, according to 13 Investigates.
Overall crime covering several blocks on every side of Minute Maid is up 16% compared to 2019 and 31% on game days.
Crime data showed crime incidents, including three aggravated assaults and one murder were took place during home game days this year in the blocks adjacent to the ballpark. Inclusive under-crime incidents classified as aggravated assaults are non-fatal shootings, stabbings, beatings, and serious fights.
Data covering motor vehicle thefts doubled, from just six in 2019 in the blocks surrounding the ballpark to 17 this year on game days, 13 Investigates added. Moreover, the data had 17 simple assaults this year on game day, translating to more than double the figures recorded in 2019.
