Cops: Dead gunman started road rage clash

Ruben Espinosa, 44, died in a crash after shooting at an SUV in an apparent fit of road rage this week. Ruben Espinosa, 44, died in a crash after shooting at an SUV in an apparent fit of road rage this week. Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Cops: Dead gunman started road rage clash 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A gunman who died in a crash after shooting at an SUV in an apparent fit of road rage began the chain of events that claimed his life by cutting off the other driver, police said Tuesday.

Witnesses said the gunman, identified by police as Ruben Espinosa, 44, was westbound in a pickup on Texas 151 near Wiseman Boulevard about 3:30 p.m. Monday when he passed and then cut off an SUV driven by Francisco De Luna, 54.

De Luna, on his way to pick up his daughter, Erika, 20, from Northwest Vista College was traveling with his son, Pedro De Luna, and his 3-year-old grandson, Yancey.

After the SUV was cut off, Pedro De Luna, 29, riding in the passenger's seat, was trying to photograph the pickup's rear license plate when Espinosa slowed down, came alongside the SUV, and began shooting.

Erika De Luna said her brother “just felt something hot” and realized he had been hit by a bullet, which broke his upper arm and traveled into his torso but did not hit any vital organs.

Francisco De Luna told police the gunman pulled ahead, then slammed on his brakes, causing the SUV to rear-end the pickup.

Both vehicles veered off the road and rolled over in the median.

Espinosa died at the scene, and all of the SUV's passengers were hospitalized.

Francisco De Luna was listed in critical condition Tuesday, and Pedro De Luna was in stable condition.

Relatives said both men have lupus, which has slowed their recovery.

The child, who was restrained in the back seat, received cuts and bruises and was expected to recover.

Police initially said it was the driver of the SUV who cut off the pickup, but a spokesman stressed that the information was preliminary.

Francisco De Luna, a retired dump truck driver, was described by his daughter as a safe, courteous motorist who always obeys the speed limit.

“He's never gotten a ticket,” she said. “He's very respectful and calm” even when things are hectic.

“I understand traffic is bad there,” she said. “But there's no reason to pull out a gun.”

Wrecks related to road rage happen more than twice as often in Bexar County than in Harris or Dallas counties, according to a San Antonio Express-News analysis published in July.

State law doesn't require a permit to have a handgun in a vehicle, but it can't be in plain view, according to the criminal code.

Espinosa's record shows he's been arrested a number of times dating to 1984, including a conviction for assaulting his wife in 1994. In August 2011, he challenged a speeding ticket and was found guilty.

Erika De Luna said she gradually has pieced together information about the incident since Monday afternoon when she first heard sirens wailing near the campus as she waited for her father. She got a call from her mother, who sounded panicked, asking her to find another ride.

Her father, she was told, had been in a wreck.

Only after receiving Facebook messages from friends who had been watching news reports about the altercation did she realize what had occurred.

“How can something like that happen?” she said. “People really need to learn from this, because nobody deserves this.”

aley@express-news.net

Michelle Casady contributed to this report.