HOUSTON – The case of a man murdered in front of his family on Father’s Day is one step closer to being solved. Houston police said they believe they now know who pulled the trigger.
KPRC 2 first spoke to the victim’s grieving family after the shooting. They spoke with us again hoping to keep the momentum going and get the suspected killer off the streets.
“It’s hard for my little girl to ask me, ‘Why did that man do that to my daddy?’ I have no answers for her,” said Debora Hernandez, who is Nestor Ulises Saldaña’s wife.
She and her family are reeling with pain, but they are now one step closer to justice for Saldaña. Hernandez and several other witnesses said 29-year-old Anthony Campos Galvan Jr. is the man who shot Saldaña in the head, killing him on Father’s Day.
After the shooting, police released images of the suspect and his Jeep Wrangler with large red rims near the scene at the Magnolia Park apartments on Avenue C. Tips led them to Galvan. Hernandez and several others all positively identified him as the shooter in a photo line-up.
“I know that was him. I picked him within seconds,” Hernandez said. “They did ask me, ‘What makes you think that’s him so quick?’ I said, ‘I looked at him in the eyes when I told him, there’s children here.’”
The motive for killing the beloved husband and father is unclear. Police said they were told a child believed to be Galvan’s daughter was among those playing in the pool where Saldaña and his family were celebrating at the time, and that she went and got Galvan. Witnesses said Galvan came back angry and began arguing with Saldaña before reportedly pistol-whipping him.
The warrant states surveillance footage showed Galvan leaving the pool area and Saldaña following him. Galvan apparently hopped in the Jeep and then shot Saldaña once in the head as he approached.
“It did give me chills to see his face, but I was happy that they identified him within days,” Hernandez said.
But now, it seems Galvan has disappeared.
“I’m pretty sure that he knows the harm that he caused my family,” Galvan said.
Hernandez and her family said they won’t rest until Galvan is behind bars.
“So we can at least have some closure,” she added.
If you have any idea where Anthony Campos Galvan Jr. is, you’re asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. You could be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 and you will remain anonymous.