AUSTIN, Texas — Police say a man charged with murder after a South Austin shooting late last year has also been tied to a shooting on the University of Texas at Austin campus last summer.
Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Gomez, 26, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder earlier this month after a shooting at the Chevy Chase Downs Apartments on Huntwick Drive in December 2024. Police say surveillance video showed Rodriguez-Gomez approaching a car and firing around 15 shots before leaving the scene. Mario Damian-Rayas was found dead in the car from gunshots wounds.
At the time of his arrest, police said they connected Rodriguez-Gomez to the shooting of Damian-Rayas through ballistics evidence that linked shell cases to two other incidents. One was an aggravated assault in May, and another was a deadly conduct case at UT in July.
On Tuesday, the Austin Police Department (APD) and University of Texas Police Department released video showing a man they said was Rodriguez-Gomez firing a gun near a crowd of people close to the Moody Center on UT’s campus. No one was injured.
Investigators believe the shooting at UT was random, and they have not yet discovered a motive for the deadly shooting in December.
“We cannot find any connection other than residence proximity with the suspect. He didn’t provide information during debrief, and robbery was ruled out because items of value still on scene,” APD Det. Israel Pina said.
Police said Rodriguez-Gomez could face more charges in connection with these incidents. In addition to the murder charge, he also faces an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge and two additional warrants for deadly conduct out of Bastrop County.
Rodriguez-Gomez remains booked in the Travis County Jail.