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Father of slain Houston teen furious at accused shooter's bond release
Paul Castro says he is furious after finding out his son's accused killer was released on bond and wants fundamental changes to the bail system. "There’s no guarantee that he won’t do the same thing to another family," he said.
HOUSTON - Friday, the man accused of killing a 17-year old in a road rage shooting was released on bond, and the boy’s father says he is furious over a bail system that puts local families in danger.
Looking less vibrant than before, the magnolia tree planted in memory of David Castro needs attention, and according to David’s dad, it’s much like his son's case.
BACKGROUND: Teen fatally shot leaving Houston Astros game will have his organs donated, father says
"Our kid is buried and dead, and all we are hearing is platitudes," he said. "‘God be with you, prayers, and he’s in a better place.’ I don’t need that. I need solutions."
Paul Castro met with FOX 26 at Westside High School less than 24 hours after getting an automated phone call around 6:30 p.m. Friday telling him Gerald Wayne Williams was released on bond.
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Man accused of killing teenager on way home from Astro’s game back on streets
FOX 26 Houston learned Gerald Williams, who is accused of shooting, killing David Castro, 17, who was on the way home from an Astro’s game with his family made his $350,000 bond Friday night.
Williams is accused of shooting and killing Castro’s 17-year-old son in a fit of road rage as he and his two sons left an Astros game in July.
MORE: Exclusive interview with the man charged with murdering 17-year-old after the Astros game
"On his own honor, he’s out there in our community- with children, with mothers, with fathers, with grandparents- you have a person who took so little regard for life that he shot into a pickup truck that had two children in it," says Castro. "And he shot one of them in the back of the head."
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David Castro's father speaks about road rage suspect's arrest for son's murder
A suspect has been charged with murder in the deadly shooting of 17-year-old David Castro, who was killed in a suspected road rage shooting while going home from an Astros game in Houston. David's father, Paul Castro, speaks about the arrest.
Williams previously served time for aggravated robbery and had been out less than a year before the shooting. He turned himself in nearly a month later and was granted a $350,000 bond in August.
RELATED: Road rage: It's getting deadlier; potential victims should take the high road
Under his bail conditions, he has been given a curfew and is barred from any contact with the Castros, but it means little to the father who says no one's family is safe.
"I have no security around my safety, my child’s safety, his mom’s safety," says Castro. "He wasn’t supposed to have a gun. He had a gun. He was a felon."
Castro blames a cash bail system he says has made it cheaper to get released regardless of past convictions and accused crimes.
CHECK OUT OUR BREAKING BOND SERIES
"We don’t know exactly how much was paid to get him out, but it was probably something in the $15,000 range," he adds. "Someone put $15,000 on their credit card; they were able to get a man out of jail probably for the next two to three years."
Castro wants funding of special courts to review bail decisions and says he's willing to run for office to make a difference.
"I wasn’t able to protect my son, but I’m calling on the community," he said. "Protect your sons and daughters, and let’s do something about this."
As he works to keep Westside’s magnolia tree, an example of his son's memory alive, he is urging other families to care enough to join him in making lasting change.
"Call the county commissioner," Castro continued. "Call Judge Hidalgo. Call the people who can make decisions and get things changed and say, ‘This is not ok, what are you doing about it?"