The trial of a 31-year-old man accused in a fatal quadruple shooting at a Palmview H-E-B in 2016 was delayed Monday because a juror’s child had a medical emergency.
Opening arguments were scheduled to begin Monday morning in the case against Raul Lopez, who is charged with murder, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a count of attempted capital murder of multiple persons related to the Nov. 28, 2016, shooting at the grocery store located at Goodwin Road and U.S. Expressway 83.
Lopez has pleaded not guilty and his attorney, O. Rene Flores, previously announced in court that Lopez is pursuing an insanity defense.
He is accused of killing 48-year-old Mario Pulido and injuring Rafael Ramirez-Martinez, then 37, Frailan Garza, then 51, and Billy Joe Martinez, who was 33 at the time.
Authorities allege Lopez, who had worked at the H-E-B, walked up to four square, dark-tinted windows and fired 15 shots from a 9mm handgun.
He was dressed in plain-clothes for trial Monday.
Prosecutor Juan Bazan had asked state District Judge Fernando Mancias to dismiss the juror and instead proceed with an alternate, which Flores, the defense attorney, was opposed to.
Mancias denied the request and the trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning.
Prosecutor Maggie Hinojosa indicated on Monday that the state would have called a 9-1-1 dispatcher to the stand Monday who received a 9-1-1 call that day from Lopez, who called police on himself after the shooting.
She said the jurors would have heard that call Monday.
Former Palmview Police Chief Christopher Cabrera said after the shooting that Lopez told the dispatcher that “everyone was out to get him.”
The former chief said Lopez told investigators he believed the window was bulletproof and that no one was hurt.
He described Lopez as “paranoid” and Lopez told a judge at his arraignment that he had previously been found incompetent.
Lopez has remained in jail on a total of $1.9 million in bonds since his arrest.
