Student found shot dead in wrecked car after phone call ends with bang, TX officials say

A 22-year-old college student found dead inside a wrecked car was killed by a gunshot wound to the head, Texas officials say.

Police in Selma, a suburb of San Antonio, responded to a call about a crashed vehicle along Interstate Highway 35 late on April 15, the department said in a news release.

“Witnesses described the victim’s vehicle as swerving and almost striking another vehicle” before hitting the inside median and coming to a stop, the release said, adding that the victim had “injuries to the back of his head.”

But following an autopsy, it was determined that the victim, Joseph Banales, was killed not by the crash, but by a gunshot to the head, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office told McClatchy News. His death has been ruled a homicide.

Banales was a senior nursing student at the University of the Incarnate Word and a member of the ROTC program, his family told KENS.

He was heading home after a military ball he attended with his girlfriend, family told the station. Banales had just dropped her off and they were talking on the phone while he drove.

During the call, she overheard an engine revving, a loud bang, and then the call dropped, according to the outlet.

His family believes he was killed in a road rage incident, KSAT reported.

“If anybody has any information we would really appreciate you coming forward because the shooter needs to be brought to justice,” Lisa Amato, Banales’ godmother, told KSAT. “It’s very difficult to know this man or woman is out there still living their life while we are grappling with Joseph’s death and how to bury him.”

McClatchy News has reached out to Selma police for an update.

The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Student found shot dead in wrecked car after phone call ends with bang, TX officials say."