Police say an attempted robbery over THC vape pens turned deadly at a Southwest Side apartment complex.
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A 19-year-old man has been charged with capital murder after police said a planned robbery at a Southwest Side apartment complex ended in gunfire that killed a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old alleged accomplice.
Christian Nathaniel Lopez was arrested Monday and booked early Tuesday into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center. Court records show he faces one count of capital murder by terroristic threat and one count of tampering with physical evidence. Investigators say Lopez survived the June 23 shooting because he was wounded but fled, while 14-year-old Michael Alvarez Jr. and 16-year-old Jeremiah Delgado died after an exchange of gunfire in the 9100 block of Excellence Drive.
San Antonio police were called to the apartment complex near Southwest Loop 410 and Old Pearsall Road at about 6:30 p.m. Officers found Alvarez dead from apparent gunshot wounds and found Delgado suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Delgado was taken to a hospital, where he later died. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled both deaths homicides. Alvarez died from gunshot wounds to the head and neck, and Delgado died from a gunshot wound to the chest. The case changed from a deadly shooting investigation into a capital murder case after detectives reviewed surveillance video, witness statements and evidence found at the scene.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Lopez and Delgado went to the apartment complex after Lopez asked a driver for a ride to buy THC vape pens. Detectives said Alvarez had multiple THC vape pens on him when police searched the scene. The witness told investigators he picked up Lopez and Delgado before the shooting and later became suspicious that the two planned to rob someone. The affidavit said Delgado got into the vehicle wearing a mask and gloves and carrying a gun. The driver told police he thought he “should have refused” to give them a ride, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance video described in court records showed the vehicle backing into a parking space. Lopez got out from the front passenger seat and walked toward Alvarez near the front of the vehicle. Moments later, Delgado approached from behind with a gun while wearing a mask and gloves, the affidavit said. Detectives wrote that Lopez and Delgado acted together as they tried to rob Alvarez. Police said Delgado pointed the gun at Alvarez’s back. Alvarez then drew his own gun and shot Delgado, investigators said. The video showed more gunfire as Delgado fell to the ground, with rounds striking Alvarez. Detectives also said Lopez appeared to be shot during the exchange.
The capital murder charge rests on what police say Lopez did before, during and after the attempted robbery. Investigators did not say Lopez fired the fatal shots. Instead, the affidavit says he took part in the robbery plan with Delgado, survived the gunfire and then picked up Delgado’s handgun before getting back into the vehicle and leaving. That sequence matters because prosecutors can pursue a murder charge when a death happens during another serious felony. In this case, police allege the attempted robbery led directly to the deaths of Alvarez and Delgado. Lopez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The driver later told police Lopez ordered him to leave the scene after the shooting, according to the affidavit. The driver tried to call 911, but Lopez told him to end the call, investigators wrote. During another interview, the driver said Lopez threatened him with a gun and ordered him to return to the apartment complex to recover a cellphone left behind. The driver did not go back after seeing a crowd near the scene. Investigators later found a cellphone at the complex. After detectives called the number they said belonged to Lopez, the phone recovered at the scene began to ring.
Investigators said Lopez went to a relative’s home after the shooting with an apparent gunshot wound. The relative told police Lopez claimed he had been shot while trying to buy marijuana. The affidavit said the relative tried more than once to call emergency services, but Lopez ended the calls. Police said Lopez then left through the back door, ran toward an alley and got into a white pickup truck before medical help arrived. Detectives later searched the home and recovered a blood-soaked shirt believed to have been worn by Lopez. They also found a blood trail behind the house, according to court records.
Early reports said two men, ages 19 and 29, had been detained for questioning after the shooting. Police later identified Lopez as the only person arrested in the case so far. The 29-year-old driver was described in the affidavit as a witness who cooperated with investigators. Authorities have not announced charges against him. The case has drawn attention because both people killed were teenagers and because the surviving suspect is accused of capital murder even though police say one of the fatal shots came from the 16-year-old alleged robber during the chaotic exchange.
Lopez remained in the Bexar County jail after his arrest, with bond set in court records at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The investigation remains open as detectives review the surveillance video, phone evidence, 911 audio and witness statements. The next major step is expected in court, where prosecutors will decide how to move the capital murder case forward.
Author note: Last updated Wednesday, July 8, 2026.