Austin road rage: Family of man killed in deadly shooting speaks out

AUSTIN, Texas - The sister of a man who was shot to death in a road rage incident is speaking out. 

Adan Marez, 54, who went by Adam, was shot and killed on Saturday, March 8, on the I-35 service road near MLK.

Austin police arrested Jacob Gonzalez, 21, for murder. Police say Marez was unarmed. 

What happened to Adan Marez?

The backstory:

Austin police responded to an area near Martin Luther King Boulevard and the southbound I-35 service road just after 4 p.m. Saturday.

Jail records show 21-year-old Jacob Gonzalez, Jr. was charged with murder.

An affidavit states Gonzalez told police he shot the victim, identified as Adan Marez, after Marez approached his vehicle at a traffic light.

A witness at the scene told police that they were driving when they cut in front of the car driven by Gonzalez, the affidavit states. The driver told police that Gonzalez passed him and started throwing trash out of his car.

RELATED: Austin road rage incident leads to deadly shooting; man arrested

Both vehicles were stopped at the red light on the service road at Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard when Marez got out of the passenger side of the vehicle and approached Gonzalez's car, the affidavit states. That's when the driver said he heard a gunshot and Marez grabbed his chest.

Gonzalez told police that he grabbed his gun when Marez approached his vehicle, the affidavit states. He then told police that he thought Marez was "going to swing on" him before he shot him and Marez ran back towards the vehicle he was in before collapsing, the affidavit states.

Police said Gonzalez said the shot was supposed to be a warning shot and he "didn't mean for it to be fatal," the affidavit states.

Gonzalez is being held on a $1 million bond. 

Records show this wasn't his first run-in with the law. 

In 2023, he was accused of unlawfully carrying a weapon. That charge was dismissed. Prosecutors did not move forward with charges for deadly conduct and aggravated assault.

If you have any video of the shooting, submit it to Detective Mendall Edwards in the APD Homicide Unit: mendall.edwards@austintexas.gov. 

If you have any information, you can call 512-974-TIPS. You can also submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

Local perspective:

Marez's sister, Carmen Castillo, recalls getting the news.

"Why did this happen to him? How could someone be so cruel to do this? You know, taking someone else's life?" she said.

She says her brother loved to be with family, fishing, and painting. 

"He was a character. He was a funny guy. He always joked around, always hugging us, kissing us, telling us he loved us," she said.

"He never came out with a weapon in his hand. For [Gonzalez] to do this, it's very unacceptable," Castillo said.

"Maybe this wouldn't have happened if they would have really taken care of the issues that he has or whatever it is," Castillo said of Gonzalez's dropped charges. "He should be where he's at right now and not let go. I'm too scared for him to come out and do this again."

Castillo says this is her message to all drivers on the road. 

"If anything happens like this to you, please stay in your vehicle. Do not try to get out of your vehicle. That was a mistake my brother did. Stay in your vehicle. Call 911," she said. "It's not worth you losing your life over something like that."

Marez's family has started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses. If you would like to donate, click here.

DowntownCrime and Public Safety