BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – The Bexar County sheriff said he’s noticed a new trend while investigating crimes: guns being exchanged between young adults and teenagers.
“What we’re seeing is that many times these kids are utilizing these guns and trading them off for another gun that may have been used in something else,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said.
Salazar said that’s what happened in the murder case of Alianna Ujueta, a 17-year-old girl who was shot and killed at a party at the end of September.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office identified Deshawn Suggs, 18, as the suspect for her murder, but he hasn’t been caught yet. Salazar said the sheriff’s office has retrieved the weapon they believe was used to kill Ujueta, but they didn’t get it directly from Suggs.
“By the time we got it in possession of us, it had already exchanged hands three, four or five times,” Salazar said. “We’re having to untangle that web to find out who came into possession of that gun.”
The sheriff said this kind of gun exchange also happened in the case of Landyn Reyes from 2024. He was also 17 years old and shot at a house party.
Salazar said Bexar County can try to stop this trend by keeping a closer eye on guns.
“As parents, we need to be mindful of where our kids are going and who they’re going to be with,” Salazar said. “We need people to realize that responsible gun ownership is a 24-hour endeavor.”
So far in the investigation of Ujueta’s case, the sheriff said BCSO has retrieved 10 different guns in total.
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