SAN ANTONIO — The trial of Eric Vasquez, 48, is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Judge Joel Perez's courtroom in San Antonio on a murder charge in the shooting death of Jay Morales. Vasquez is accused of killing Morales, 41, on January 21, 2025, in what police initially described as an act of self-defense following a road rage incident.

The two men were arguing on the road before stopping at the intersection of Spring Time and Spring Hurst on the northwest side of San Antonio, according to police. Officers said the situation began as an argument and escalated into shots being fired.

Morales grabbed a gun from his trunk at the stop, police said. Vasquez then grabbed his own gun and shot Morales multiple times in the upper torso.

Morales was found lying on the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

In July, a grand jury indicted Vasquez on a murder charge. He has applied for probation.

The case centers on whether Vasquez acted in self-defense. Police initially categorized the shooting as self-defense on the day of the incident, January 21, 2025, before the grand jury returned the murder indictment months later in July. The indictment means prosecutors presented evidence to the grand jury sufficient to establish probable cause that a crime was committed.

The shooting took place on the northwest side of San Antonio. Vasquez and Morales had been traveling on the same road before both vehicles stopped at the Spring Time and Spring Hurst intersection, where the confrontation turned fatal, police said.