SAN ANTONIO – Police arrested the man they believe is responsible for shooting an innocent bystander on the walking track at a northeast side park.
Officers say 29-year-old Fabian Joseph Gobert, Jr., shot his gun at Sunrise Park Monday night because of a fight over a stolen cell phone.
"The suspect's girlfriend was at the park,” Officer Matt Porter says. “She accused a group of males playing basketball of stealing her cell phone. She went and confronted the males. She actually took a phone from one of the males that was playing basketball and locked it in a vehicle."
The girlfriend told police she and a friend called Gobert who came to the park, got in a fight with the basketball players and pulled out his gun – but missed his target.
"Our victim had absolutely nothing to do with this,” Officer Porter says. “She was an innocent bystander out walking when she was struck by the suspect's gunfire."
The victim, 45-year-old Guadalupe Esparza, was just around the corner from her home when she was shot in the head. She’s still in critical condition.
"It makes me concerned,” parkgoer Donna Knight says.
The shooting spooked people like Knight, who makes walking the track at Sunrise Park part of her daily routine.
"Normally if it gets full, I'll go ahead and leave if a lot of people start coming, especially like the younger generation,” Knight says.
Gobert’s young cohorts are cooperating with investigators. He faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
