D'Hanis remembers rancher killed on his own property

By ZACK HEDRICK
News 4 San Antonio
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MEDINA COUNTY -- Deputies in Medina County are still trying to figure out why a rancher and his brother-in-law were shot on their own property.

This happened Saturday afternoon a few miles south of D'Hanis, which is 50 miles west of San Antonio.

The D'Hanis community is still in disbelief.

"This is something you can't predict," said Paul Harmon, a business owner in D'Hanis.

"I couldn't believe it," said Bill Keich, a restaurant owner in D'Hanis. "It floored me, it hurt."

59-year old James Rodriguez and his brother-in-law Mike Mollere were shot late Saturday afternoon by a man they believed to be a poacher.

The man -- 26-year old Shane Outlaw -- ventured onto the ranch in a stolen pickup from Devine, according to the sheriff.

"At some point he overpowered the property owner took his rifle shot him and killed him," said Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown.

Deputies say Mollere is expected to be OK.

Bill Keich --the owner of the Double K Steakhouse-- says Mollere would eat at his place five days a week.

"20 years is a long time to know somebody and serve them," said Keich. "So it was pretty hard."

Keich hopes investigators find out the reason for shooting soon.

"It shouldn't have happened," said Keich. "It was uncalled for and I don't see why because he never did anything or hurt anybody."

After shooting the two men, investigators say Outlaw took off in Rodriguez's Hummer.

"Finally found the vehicle several miles from here where it was on fire," said Brown.

Outlaw was taken into custody and is being held without bond.

Meanwhile, the people in D'Hanis say they're a little more wary after the bizarre and tragic shooting just south of town.

"Yeah now we're going to worry about trusting our homes and stuff because of stuff like this and it shouldn't be," said Keich.

Sheriff Brown says they learned nothing new overnight, but deputies were back out on the property Monday trying to recover the stolen pickup Outlaw drove to Mollere's ranch Saturday afternoon, hoping it contains something to help solve why this shooting happened.