HOUSTON – Houston Police are searching for two men wanted in connection with a July shooting where a 16-year-old on a scooter was shot after being hit by a car. The teen survived the incident.
40-year-old Nicolaos Rafael Cuellar and 25-year-old Julian Isaiah Cuellar are charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Nicolaos’ teenage nephew, who was involved in the shooting, is already in custody.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Solo and Oats streets in the Fifth Ward. KPRC2 reporter Corley Peel obtained court documents revealing how police connected the suspects to the crime.
Nicolaos Cuellar had just been released from prison and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting. Police say tracking data placed him in the area when the incident occurred. Records show Nicolaos spoke with police and admitted to the crime, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
Surveillance footage shows Nicolaos chasing the teen on a scooter in a white SUV near Oats and Solo streets. Julian Cuellar is seen in the passenger seat pointing a rifle out the window and firing a shot, which missed the teen.
Investigators say Nicolaos struck the teen with the vehicle, knocking him off the scooter. Nicolaos told police his 16-year-old nephew fired the shot while the teen was on the ground.
About a month after the shooting, police found the white SUV parked at an HEB grocery store. The vehicle was registered to Nicolaos’ girlfriend.
Police contacted Nicolaos by phone, and he said he had gone to a relative’s house where he found Julian and his nephew armed with guns. They asked Nicolaos to drive around the block to find the teen and his friends, who were allegedly throwing rocks and breaking windows at the house.
Following the shooting, Nicolaos’ nephew was arrested, but Nicolaos and Julian remain at large.
Both men face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities urge anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact Houston Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
If you see Nicolaos Rafael Cuellar or Julian Isaiah Cuellar, do not approach them. Contact law enforcement immediately.