Giovanni Pera Paschal appears inset against an image of the gas station where he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend in San Antonio, Texas, in August 2023. (Bexar County Jail; Screengrab via KSAT)
A Texas man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend in a gas station parking lot this week in a shocking act of violence caught on camera.
Giovanni Pera Paschal, 40, stands accused of one count of murder in the first degree, according to Bexar County Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. The defendant is awaiting a formal indictment over the late evening – though still broad daylight – shooting death of Deanna Mason, 34, in San Antonio last weekend.
Paschal was arrested late Wednesday evening, according to the San Antonio Police Department, local ABC affiliate KSAT reports.
The incident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. at a Valero gas station on the north side of the Alamo City, law enforcement say, off West Hildebrand Avenue near Blanco Road. There, a man and a woman can be seen on surveillance footage arriving in the same vehicle – parking next to one of the pumps, according to a copy of an arrest report in the case obtained by local NBC/CW affiliate WOAI.
Police allege the video shows Paschal getting out of the vehicle and pumping gas at the filling station, then returning to the driver’s seat. After that, Mason can allegedly be seen leaving the vehicle from the front passenger seat and then walking away. Then, the defendant allegedly follows the victim and raises a hand in her direction. Right after that, the woman can be seen falling to the ground, police say.
Law enforcement found Mason suffering from gunshot wounds to her chest and head. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries the next day, Sunday, Aug. 13, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner.
Witnesses helped police piece together the surveillance footage – saying they saw the man raise a gun, shoot the woman, and then flee in his car.
Before the killing, Mason and Paschal were allegedly in an argument, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The subject of the argument, however, is not known.
Gruesome footage of the crime scene in the hours after the shooting filmed by local media appears to show a large puddle of blood partially covered by a damp and wind-caught piece of blue fabric. A pair of cracked sunglasses and other evidence can be seen on the ground nearby. The footage is slightly blurred, but yellow evidence markers can be clearly made out next to each item.
The crime scene outside of a Valero on the north side of San Antonio.
A witness who was not at the scene of the crime would later tell law enforcement she saw blood as well. That witness, police say, is a roommate who lived with both the defendant and victim. She allegedly told police that she came home the day of the shooting to find Mason’s bedroom “in disarray and [that] there was blood on the floor,” according to the arrest report obtained by local Fox affiliate KABB.
Police also claim there is evidence that shows Paschal sent a message to one of Mason’s family members that said, “he was going to be with [the victim] and tell his family he was sorry.”
According to the SAPD, Paschal was arrested on an unrelated issue on Thursday when police found a 9 mm pistol they said linked him to the fatal shooting at the Valero.
The defendant is detained on $150,000 bond.
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