AUSTIN (KXAN) — As police continue to investigate the death of Mario Damian-Rayas, who was shot and killed on Dec. 21 outside of his southeast Austin apartment , the victim’s friend is trying to help Damian-Rayas’ family get his body back to Mexico .
“Really sad, really shocking,” said Ulises Castro, who said Damian-Rayas was his best friend of 12 years. “He was a really nice guy, he was never involved in drugs or anything where people were after him.”
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On Saturday, Dec. 21, police got a 911 call reporting gunshots heard at the Chevy Chase apartments on Huntwick Drive, near East Oltorf. When officers got there, they found Damian-Rayas in the front seat of a car with apparent gunshot wounds. Police said “the investigation showed Mr. Damian-Rayas was shot in a vehicle by a suspect who then fled the area.”
Investigators have not yet released details on what they believe led up to the shooting, but APD did release the photo, pictured right, identifying the man in the image as a person of interest.
University of Texas at Austin Police also released this very image in July, identifying the man as a person of interest in a case involving shots fired near the Moody Center .
Investigators could not elaborate further on this individuals suspected involvement in either case…