Man charged with manslaughter after gun goes off as he pistol-whipped victim in SE Houston, HPD says

Months after a man was shot to death outside of a Z Mart gas station along the Gulf Freeway near Griggs Road, police said a suspect has been arrested and charged.

Fernando Villareal was fatally shot on June 7 at 6420 Gulf Freeway.

The video above is from a previous report.

According to court documents, the suspect, who has since been identified as Carlos Paez, and Villareal went into the store to play the gambling machines together. Hours later, they were spotted leaving the store and walking around to the back, where they got into a fight.

During the fight, Paez allegedly pistol-whipped Villareal, causing the gun to discharge, killing Villareal. A video also showed Paez running away from the scene.

After months of investigating, records show Paez was arrested on Wednesday and charged with manslaughter. He is currently in the Harris County Jail.