AUSTIN, Texas — A deadly shooting along I-35 remains under investigation as court documents reveal what led to a 21-year-old being charged with murder.
Police said Jacob Gonzalez Jr. was arrested Saturday following the shooting near I-35 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Gonzalez is accused of killing Adan Marez in what police said was a road rage incident that spanned several miles.
According to an affidavit, Gonzalez was in heavy traffic before a Jeep drove in front of his car, which led Gonzalez to throw trash at the Jeep.
When both vehicles ended up at the red light, Marez got out and was allegedly shot in the chest by Gonzalez during a confrontation. Marez tried walking back to the Jeep before he fell to the ground. He would later die at the scene.
The affidavit states that multiple witnesses watched Marez argue with Gonzalez and the people in his vehicle for about 30 to 45 seconds. Witnesses told police Marez made fighting gestures before they heard a “bang” and saw smoke exiting the driver’s side of Gonzalez’s vehicle.
In an interview with police, Gonzalez allegedly admitted to the shooting, saying he didn’t see Marez until he was about 10 feet away. Gonzalez said Marez acted like he was “going to swing on me” and that he shot Marez once. He also allegedly admitted to honking his horn at the Jeep, throwing trash at the vehicle and that he “flicked them off.”
According to the affidavit, Gonzalez told police that he didn’t intend to kill Marez and that he only meant to fire “a warning shot.” Meanwhile, police are asking for footage of the incident to be submitted to their homicide unit due to the nature of the shooting and amount of people in the area when it happened.
Gonzalez remains in jail on a $1 million bond. Marez’s death is under investigation as Austin’s seventh homicide of 2025.