A fatal shooting outside the South Side gym could be a case of mistaken identity, according to a report

SAN ANTONIIO – Three men have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a man outside the South Side basketball courts.

And the fatal shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Justin Eaton, 25, Glen McGarity, 41, and Diontay Roberson, 24, were charged with the murder of Xavier Perez, 27, in April.

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The fatal shooting occurred just after midnight April 26 at Brooks Inner-City Sports on Topeka Boulevard near Interstate 37.

According to the arrest report, Perez’s brother told investigators that Eaton had called a family member of his several weeks before the murder and threatened to kill him. He also said he believed “it was a case of mistaken identity” since Perez was driving his truck the night of the murder. He said they looked very similar too.

Perez’s brother also told police that he knew the suspects because they all went to school together. He also said that he and Perez played basketball at that gym every Thursday, which was confirmed by the gym’s owner, according to the arrest report.

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On the night of the murder, surveillance video showed a gray or silver SUV pulling up to the gym. A passenger and a rear passenger opened fire on Perez, who was standing between his vehicle and his friend’s vehicle.

After Perez collapsed, the rear passenger fell onto his side while the front passenger continued shooting at him. No word on whether the rear passenger also shot Perez at close range.

About eight hours after the murder, investigators from the San Antonio Police Robbery Unit were notified that they had a GPS tracker on a stolen silver Mitsubishi Outlander SUV that matched the vehicle seen in surveillance video outside the gym. On the night of the murder, the SUV was seen circling the gym area before the murder, which was also confirmed by surveillance video.

Investigators also learned that shots were reported 27 minutes after the murder a few blocks from the suspect’s friend’s home. Investigators recovered a bullet that matched the shell casings found at the crime scene.

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McGarity and Roberson were then arrested on May 7 for the robbery of a Brinks armored truck near the corner of Walzem Road and Rough Rider Drive. After the robbery, the suspects led authorities on a high-speed chase and were eventually arrested in Schertz when they attempted to set the Outlander on fire.

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According to the arrest report, Roberson and McGarity’s cellphones were confiscated by police when they were arrested. Evidence obtained over the phone showed investigators where the SUV was before the murder.

It was also determined that Eaton had suffered a gunshot wound in Perez’s murder. Police said in the arrest report that they believe he was shot by one of the other suspects because they were the only ones who fired during the murder.