A 26-year-old Edcouch man accused of killing his cousin by accidentally discharging a firearm is set to be arraigned Monday morning.
Raul Reyes is accused of killing his cousin, 21-year-old Alex Diaz, at a family gathering after a gun Diaz was showing Reyes went off and hit Diaz in the torso on March 31, 2021.
Reyes is charged with manslaughter and had his bond set to $300,000 initially until Diaz’s mother, Mayra Diaz, asked state District Judge Fernando Mancias to reduce it in order for Reyes to attend his cousin’s funeral during a hearing held the following Wednesday.
Mancias lowered the bond to $15,000 after hearing Rick Salinas’ argument and the victim’s mother’s request.
Salinas argued that the incident was one of those “tragic events where people shouldn’t mix alcohol and carry a firearm.”
According to Salinas, the gun being shown may have gone off when Reyes was handing it back to Diaz and stated that many of the family members were there when the accident occurred.
In the news release, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said that Reyes told investigators that Diaz accidentally shot himself with his gun.
However, investigators received some conflicting information from witnesses.
Diaz was found dying at a nearby store after deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call at a property located at Mile 5 1/2 West in rural Elsa that late Wednesday night, according to police and Salinas.
Authorities allege that witnesses stated that they heard Diaz say he had been shot by Reyes.
The defense attorney said that Diaz may have made a statement at the store where he was driven to and where EMS picked him up.
“He may have said he shot himself,” Salinas said at the hearing.
Salinas believes there may be a conflict in what Diaz’s final words actually were, including that Reyes’ arrest may have been “a little premature” and that the report that Diaz used his dying words to say Reyes shot him is “quite the opposite.”
Mayra Diaz explained to Mancias that she wasn’t opposed to a lower bond and would like Reyes to bail out so he could attend Diaz’s funeral.
Mancias asked Mayra whether Reyes and Diaz ever had any animosity toward each other.
She said that they loved each other and never had any problems.
“This is a very closely knit family,” Salinas said, adding that Reyes and Mayra have a tender and affectionate relationship.
Mancias ultimately signed the order and faxed it to the sheriff’s office.
Reyes is now set to appear before state District Judge Rose Guerra Reyna on Monday morning for his arraignment.
