Aunt killed in dispute over child

Deputy shoots woman who fired gun

Kimberly Rubio

Assistant editor

Thirty-year-old Shana Musquiz of Harper died Tuesday after being shot by a Real County Sheriff’s Office deputy whom she fired upon during a dispute in Camp Wood.

Deputy Jonathan Ortiz, who was previously employed at the Uvalde County Jail, was dispatched to the Hill Country Motel early Tuesday morning for a domestic disturbance involving child custody.

According to the Real County Sheriff’s office, Musquiz was attempting to take her brother’s 4-year-old son.

According to Real County Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson, Ortiz told Musquiz she would have to relinquish the child to her brother because she did not have custody.

“Shana Musquiz obtained a firearm from her motor vehicle and discharged a round at the deputy and others standing in the immediate vicinity,” Johnson said.

Ortiz returned fire and shot Musquiz. Musquiz was taken by Nueces Canyon EMS to Uvalde Memorial Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Musquiz was a member of the Harper Volunteer Fire Department. According to her Facebook profile, she served in the U.S. Army for an unspecified period of time. On Nov. 20, 2017, she opened a GoFundMe account with a goal of $140,000. The page, entitled “Life is tough,” requested contributions to help people, including herself, and animals in need. She said she “grew up with the bare minimum” but had been blessed in life despite surviving childhood abuse and foster care.

According to Shannon De Leon, Musquiz’s former sister-in-law, Musquiz was loving and protective of her nephews and nieces, including De Leon’s children from a previous relationship.

“She fought for our country, and she is still somebody’s daughter, sister, and wife,” De Leon said. De Leon was previously married to Musquiz’s brother Patrick Musquiz.

De Leon was not present for the dispute but said Patrick Musquiz was there. She said the family doesn’t agree with the narrative released from the Real County Sheriff’s Office.

“She is ex-military,” Musquiz said. “If she wanted to kill somebody she would have killed him. No way she could have fired at him and missed.”

The family did not return phone calls and messages left by newspaper staff. The family has not released another version of events.