On Wednesday (October 29), a Brazos County district court jury ruled that a 31 year old man who lived in the apartment committed a hate crime and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
The jury sentence came the week after Zachary Pfluger, who moved to San Angelo, admitted to the shooting.
The news release from the district attorney’s office said the victim, who knew the shooter through church, said Pfluger shot him after calling him racist and homophobic slurs.
One of the prosecutors in the case told WTAW News the victim testified and has recovered except for some nerve issues in his hand.
Pfluger, who had no prior criminal history, will have to serve at least ten years before he becomes eligible for parole.
And he has yet to face another trial on charges of firing a shotgun towards CSPD officers during a seven hour standoff during the same incident on Halloween in 2021.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On October 29, 2025, a Brazos County jury sentenced Zachary Pfluger, of San Angelo, Texas, to 20 years in prison after he pled guilty to Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon last week.
The jury additionally made an affirmative finding that Pfluger committed the crime because of bias or prejudice. This finding increased the case to a first-degree felony.
On Sunday, October 31, 2021, the College Station Police Department received a 911 call from a man reporting that he had been shot twice by Zachary Pfluger and believed he was dying. During the call, dispatchers heard a third gunshot followed by cries of pain from the victim.
Officers responded to the Defendant’s apartment and, after forcing entry into the apartment, they discovered that Pfluger had retreated to his bedroom. Pfluger warned the police that he would shoot them if they approached his bedroom door.
Police located the victim in the guest bathroom with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim, who knew the Defendant through church, reported that Pfluger shot him after calling him racist and homophobic slurs.
College Station Police activated their Hostage Negotiations Team and SWAT team to respond to the Defendant’s apartment and attempt to get him to surrender to authorities. During the standoff, Pfluger opened his bedroom door and fired a shotgun towards officers before retreating back into the bedroom. Seven hours later, Pfluger finally surrendered to authorities.
A search of the Defendant’s cell phone revealed hundreds of racist and homophobic texts between Pfluger and approximately 30 different individuals. These texts included messages supporting the murder of African Americans and homosexuals and spanned more than two years.
The Defendant testified during the trial and claimed that he was in a psychotic state due to Adderall abuse and believed the victim was armed with a gun. The Defendant also testified that due to the psychotic state, he did not realize who the police were and did not intentionally shoot at them. The Defense presented evidence from two forensic psychologists that stated the Defendant’s Adderall abuse lead to the offense and that the Defendant was at a low-risk to reoffend. The defendant had no prior criminal history.
Pfluger will have to serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The Defendant’s two pending Aggravated Assault against a Public Servant charges are still pending with a trial date to be determined.
Statement from assistant Brazos County district attorneys Ryan Golden and Jessica Escue: “We thank the Brazos County jury for showing once again that hate has no place in our community.”