A Family’s Grief Grows After Two Brothers Die in San Antonio Shooting

 Two brothers were getting ready for ordinary moments at home when gunfire shattered the evening and changed their family forever. Maliki Perales, 11, and Dravyn Quiroz, 20, were shot outside their family’s home last Tuesday in what authorities describe as an apparently unprovoked attack by a neighbor. Within hours, both brothers would be dead, leaving his father to mourn two sons whose futures had seemed to stretch ahead of them.

Authorities say Quiroz was backing a vehicle out of the family driveway when 40-year-old neighbor Daniel Antonio Perez allegedly opened fire. Investigators have found no apparent history of conflict between Perez and the family and, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, no apparent provocation for the shooting. Two other siblings were also placed in danger when Perez allegedly fired toward the front door, although neither was struck. Authorities say Perez then fled the area.

Inside the house, Andrew Perales recalled hearing gunshots before his wife screamed. He rushed downstairs after grabbing his own gun and said he stumbled over one of his wounded sons. Across the street, he could see the alleged shooter reloading and preparing to fire again. Maliki had suffered critical gunshot wounds to his head and torso, and his father carried him roughly a quarter-mile to a nearby Dollar General, where emergency assistance was requested before the boy was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Maliki died shortly before 8:50 p.m., approximately an hour and 20 minutes after the shooting. Maliki had been preparing to begin middle school, a milestone that now stands as a painful reminder of the childhood and future he never got to experience. Quiroz initially survived the shooting, but about 12 hours later he also died from his injuries, turning a devastating attack into the loss of two brothers in a single night.

Perez was taken into custody about 10 minutes after the shooting, according to authorities, after allegedly fleeing from the scene. Investigators later recovered a firearm from a nearby drainage culvert as they worked to establish what happened and gather evidence from the scene. Perez has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, while the investigation continues to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the evidence presented in court.

Bexar County Sheriff Salazar described the incident as an unfortunate situation involving a family that appeared to have simply become victims of someone living across the street. He characterized Perez as a “ticking time bomb” and said relatives told investigators the suspect had reportedly experienced mental health episodes that had not been reported to authorities. Those relatives reportedly described depression and hallucinations, but such statements do not by themselves establish a motive or explain the alleged decision to open fire.

For the Perales family, the loss was especially painful because both brothers were remembered as fighters who had faced different challenges in their lives. Quiroz had undergone surgeries in recent months after suffering from pancreatitis and diabetic ketoacidosis, while Maliki was looking ahead to middle school and the next stage of childhood. Their father said he was proud of the young men his sons had become and emphasized the good morals and values he believed he had instilled in them.

Hundreds gathered Saturday for a vigil honoring Maliki and Dravyn, bringing together relatives, friends, and community members grieving two lives lost within hours. Their deaths have left a family confronting an incomprehensible act as investigators and prosecutors continue working through the case against Perez. For those who knew the brothers, the vigil offered a chance to remember them not only for how they died, but for the love, resilience, and promise that defined their lives.