Affidavit: Man charged with murder after fatal shooting, others arrested during investigation

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man faces a murder charge after police say he shot another man following a fight at a north Austin apartment complex in May, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KXAN. Two other people were also arrested during the investigation.

Michael Carter, 22, was booked into the Travis County Jail on June 25 on charges of murder and alleged involvement in the death of 27-year-old Isaac Jimenez.

The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Canyon Ridge Apartments in Walnut Park Crossing. Austin Police Department officers responded to reports of shots fired at the complex, and a witness reported seeing a person limping toward one of the buildings.

When officers arrived, they located Carter with a gunshot wound and Austin-Travis County EMS transported him to the hospital.

Officers also found a person sitting on the ground with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The person was identified as Isaac Jimenez. Paramedics attempted to save his life, but Jimenez was pronounced dead at the scene.

That same day, approximately 10 minutes after the initial response to Canyon Ridge Apartments, APD officers were also dispatched to a Whataburger on North Lamar Boulevard, approximately three miles from the apartment complex, after calls to 911 indicated that a person had been shot there.

Officers arrived on scene and found Jontel Boyce, 23, suffering from gunshot wounds inside a red Jeep in the parking lot. He was evaluated by ATCEMS and taken to the hospital.

Two other people were with Boyce at the time. One was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence after a police officer saw him remove items from the Jeep and place them behind another vehicle parked in the parking lot, according to the affidavit .

These items included an open box of ammunition, a sandwich bag containing marijuana, and another sandwich bag containing several unmarked multi-colored pills.

An officer questioned Boyce while he was at the hospital, and Boyce said he was shot while at the Canyon Ridge Apartments to buy marijuana, then went to the Whataburger, according to the affidavit.

While at the hospital, Boyce received an arrest warrant for possession of a controlled substance for an unrelated incident that occurred in March, the affidavit states. He remained in the hospital under the care of Travis County jail staff while recovering, and upon release he was transported to the jail. While in jail, he was placed in federal custody due to his federal indictment for possession of a firearm by a felon, which occurred on March 4, according to the affidavit.

KXAN is working to reach attorneys for Carter and Boyce for a statement and will update this story when we receive a response.

Carter was also interviewed by a police officer while he was at the hospital and said he didn't know what happened, why he was shot or who shot him, according to the affidavit. He said he may have been hit by a stray bullet, but that his ears were ringing after the gunshot, which typically indicates the proximity of a gun, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also stated that Carter “was uncooperative and did not wish to make a statement to detectives.”

Carter was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the “projectile” (the bullet), but before the surgery he left the hospital against doctors' advice, according to the affidavit. Police assume the bullet is still lodged in his body.

When the APD homicide unit was processing evidence at the Canyon Ridge apartments, detectives found a .40-caliber pistol in the bushes near where Carter was located, the affidavit said.

Detectives also found evidence indicating shots had been fired from different firearms inside the apartment and in the stairwell, according to the affidavit.

Based on the evidence, detectives believe Boyce and Carter were inside the apartment when they were shot. Detectives believe they then ran out of the apartment and that's when Boyce ran away and Carter was found, the affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, police believe Carter and Boyce were armed with .40-caliber pistols when they entered an apartment used by Isaac Jimenez. The affidavit said apartment management said the unit was supposed to be vacant. A witness told police Jimenez had been squatting there for a few months.

A fight ensued between Carter and Jimenez inside the unit, which Boyce described as Carter “beating up a guy,” the affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, detectives believe Jimenez fired two .380 caliber shots, and that Carter and Boyce each fired .40 caliber shots into the bedroom from the kitchen/living room, causing Jimenez to die from his injuries.

The affidavit states that the “actions demonstrated by Boyce and Carter following the shooting” indicate that they both knew their actions leading to Jimenez's death were “not in good faith or self-defense.”

The affidavit states that Boyce and Carter “engaged in the above actions following the shooting in an attempt to conceal any criminal responsibility for the death of the deceased.”

Carter is being held in the Travis County Jail on $500,000 bail on a first-degree felony murder charge.

Boyce is also being held in the Travis County Jail on $75,000 bail for possession of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony. It is unclear whether Boyce will face additional charges in connection with the shooting.