Before a Texas family’s truck was stolen from their home, authorities said they tagged it with a GPS tracking device.
The family was then able to track the stolen vehicle with the Apple AirTag hidden within it, San Antonio police officer Nick Soliz said in a news briefing recorded by KSAT.
By tracking the AirTag, a man and two family members found the stolen truck in a shopping center parking lot on Wednesday, March 29, police said.
“It looks like they tried to confront the suspect who they saw in their vehicle,” Soliz said. “I don’t know if an argument happened, but we know that one of the victims of this stolen vehicle gets out of the car, goes around (and) attempts to contact the suspect in the truck.”
As the man was doing so, he said he saw the person in his truck pull out a gun, according to police.
He responded by firing his own gun, Soliz said. The man in the truck – believed to be in his 30s – was killed.
The San Antonio Police Department has not publicly said if the man in the truck had a firearm with him during the incident.
Police believe the shooter’s family did call police when tracking the vehicle, but they did not wait for help to arrive. The truck was reported stolen prior to the shooting.
An investigation is ongoing, and no arrests had been made as of the news conference.
“If you are to get your vehicle stolen, I know that it’s frustrating, but please do not take matters into your own hands like this,” Soliz said. “... it’s never safe to take matters into your own hands as you can see... by this incident.” – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service