CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 22-year-old Premont man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.Damian Rodriguez aka Diablo pleaded guilty March 31. U.S.
District Judge David Morales has now ordered Rodriguez to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described Rodriguez’s use of the firearm with the obliterated serial number to commit several crimes, including attempted murder of a local victim as well as a police officer. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted the Rodriguez’s actions and sentenced him to the maximum possible sentence allowed under the law. At the sentencing hearing, Rodriguez was held responsible for the attempted murder of both the local victim and the police officer.On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement was dispatched to a local residence in response to a call regarding multiple gunshots.
Surveillance footage of the area revealed the shooter, later identified as Rodriguez, firing multiple gunshots into the residence from an adjacent alley. Further investigation revealed he had made multiple threats to the victim’s life on social media. Authorities recovered 11 shell casings at the residence, but the victim did not sustain any injuries. Two days later, a local police officer discovered multiple threats on his life from Rodriguez’s social media accounts.
Law enforcement learned Rodriguez had been walking in the area with a loaded gun and attempted to locate him. Rodriguez saw them and began shooting. During another incident the same day, shots had also been fired at law enforcement. The shell casings at those scenes matched those from the prior attempted murder scenes.
The investigation led to a residence where authorities located Rodriguez. Among his belongings was a Colt .223 caliber rifle with an obliterated serial number. Analysis and tests showed a match between the firearm and the shell casings from the prior shootings. At the time of his arrest, Rodriguez had also made multiple comments regarding his attempts to shoot and kill the police officer.
Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Police departments in Premont and Falfurrias, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith is prosecuting the case.