SAN ANTONIO – Businesses and visitors are concerned after a fatal weekend shooting in downtown San Antonio over the weekend.
An 80-year-old woman who died after being caught in the crossfire of a shooting in downtown San Antonio on Sunday night had attended a graduation at the Alamodome prior to the shooting, Police Chief William McManus said Monday.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Heidi Silkworth, 80.
McManus said Silkworth was from Euless, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“Do you ever think twice when you come downtown?” asked KSAT’s John Paul Barajas
“I do, just for the simple fact that you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Margie Morales, who was spending the day downtown
For visitors and business owners in the area, news of Sunday night’s shooting brings concerns.
“We need attention to it, we don’t want to kill the tourism here,” said Rene Fernandez, owner of Hola Restuarant. “The tourist gets shot or (was) in the crossfire; however, it happened, it’s definitely going to put concern on anybody who is planning on coming to San Antonio.”
Fernandez hopes SAPD will consider more security in the area.
McManus said the downtown area is well-patrolled but added that the department’s San Antonio Fear Free Environment units would determine if an additional law enforcement presence is needed.
“There is a distinction between a hot spot and random acts occurring in a particular area,” McManus said. “There is nothing organized about these offenses that are happening.”
McManus said the shooting was a random act by the groups that decided to “shoot it out without any regard for anybody else’s well-being.”
The chief said nine people were detained, but no arrests had been made. He added that he was “somewhat confident” that would change with the help of forensic evidence.