Details of the Sunday afternoon shooting and murder of Ernesto Gonzales were painted by Brownwood Police investigators in the complaint against suspect Michael Zarate which was filed in Brown County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Jim Cavanaugh’s court.
According to the complainant, at 4:13 p.m., 34-year-old Gonzales, after a verbal argument with another man, was fatally shot in the left shoulder and collapsed in an alleyway in the 1300 block of Brady Avenue. A witness stated that a male with something in his hand followed Gonzales into the alley, according to the report.
The accused, 31-year-old Michael Zarate, was identified by witnesses as being the other party of the argument with Gonzales, a total of three shots were fired, and that a female had screamed “Stop Michael, stop!” during the argument, according to the documents.
The complaint states that Zarate fled, dismantled and disposed of a 9mm pistol near Depot Liquor on Vine Street and that he also traveled to Heartland Mall where he bought another shirt and changed into it before going to Mi Familia, a restaurant in Early, where he was located at around 5:30 p.m.
Zarate was arrested on Monday on unrelated warrants for surety withdrawals related to aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.
Zarate was charged with murder and tampering and/or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair and is currently being held in the Brown County Jail on bonds totaling $600,000 related to the current charges.
