AUSTIN, Texas – An 18-year-old is in custody, charged with murder for the death of Samuel Charlez on Thanksgiving Day in 2017.

Edgar Perez-Gamez is accused of shooting two people in the 9616 block of North Lamar Boulevard on Nov. 23, 2017, around 11:39 p.m. According to the affidavit, Gamez claims he shot Charlez in self-defense.

Witnesses told police that on the night of the shooting Charlez and his friends were hanging out in a parking lot when they saw an unknown SUV enter the lot. Charlez and another man approached the vehicle.

One of the witnesses said moments later she heard three to four gunshots. Charlez then returned to his friends, clutching his stomach and saying that he had been shot.

The man with Charlez was shot in the arm, but survived. Charlez later died at the hospital on Dec. 6 after being rushed into emergency surgery. His death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wounds.

Surveillance video form a nearby restaurant helped police ask the media and the public to identify the shooter.

On Feb. 1, a family member of Gamez came forward and told investigators that he had confessed to shooting someone in “self-defense.”

Once police identified Gamez as the suspect, they brought him in for questioning. In the affidavit, Gamez claims he entered the parking lot to avoid a red light at North Lamar and Rundberg Drive.

Gamez said he was approached by two men who were flagging him down. As one of the men walked toward the SUV, Gamez claims he thought the man was reaching for his waistband to grab a gun so he shot at them. 

At the time of the shooting, Gamez was already on probation for aggravated robbery and has a long list of arrests for assaults.

Gamez was arrested on a separate charge by Texarkana police for possession of a controlled substance and illegally carrying a firearm on Jan. 14. He was booked at the Travis County Jail on a $250,000 bond on Feb. 10.