Search warrant issued for victim's phone data in attempt to find suspects in car show shooting

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department has issued a search warrant to Apple Inc. in an attempt to identify more suspects involved in the shooting of a man who was killed at a car show in east Austin earlier this month and the robbery that preceded it, according to an affidavit obtained by KXAN.

The affidavit shows that APD issued the warrant to Apple on Feb. 20 to seize data from accounts linked to Christian Loredo, who was the victim of the shooting. Police are attempting to identify other suspects involved in the incident, the affidavit noted.

According to witness statements detailed in the affidavit, there were at least four suspects involved in an attack and robbery that happened before Loredo was shot and killed. One of the suspects, Carlos Rivera, who was identified by police as the person who shot Loredo, was arrested and charged with murder earlier this month.

KXAN reached out to Rivera’s attorney for a statement. This article will be updated if a statement is provided.

Police believe evidence held in the electronic storage of Loredo's account will help them "establish the 'who, what, why, when, where, and how' of the criminal conduct under investigation, thus enabling investigators to establish and prove each element or, alternatively, to exclude the innocent from further suspicion," the affidavit said.

The document also said that stored communication and files connected to an Apple device may provide direct evidence of the incident. It noted that iMessages, emails, voicemails, photos, videos, and documents are "often created and used in furtherance of criminal activity, including to communicate about the homicide."

Apple accounts and apps track location data, which police believe will help in the criminal investigation of the death of Christian Loredo. Police are seeking to confirm movement of the suspect(s) during and after offense, according to the affidavit.