Businesses, visitors respond to deadly weekend shooting in downtown San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – Businesses and visitors are worried after a deadly shooting in downtown San Antonio this weekend.

An 80-year-old woman who died after being caught in the crossfire during a shooting in downtown San Antonio Sunday night had attended a graduation at the Alamodome before the shooting, the county's chief said Monday. font William McManus.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office identified the woman as 80-year-old Heidi Silkworth.

McManus said Silkworth was from Euless, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“Do you ever think twice when you come to town?” asked KSAT's John Paul Barajas

“Yeah, just because you 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 raises concerns.

“We have to pay attention to it, we don’t want to kill tourism here,” said René Fernandez, owner of Hola restaurant. “The tourist was shot or (was) caught in the crossfire; however it happened, it will definitely worry anyone considering coming to San Antonio.

Fernandez hopes SAPD will consider increasing security in the area.

McManus said downtown is well-policed, but added that San Antonio Department Fear Free Environment units will determine if 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 occurring. »

McManus said the shooting was a random act by the groups who decided to “shoot up without any regard for the well-being of others.”

The chief said nine people were arrested, but no arrests had been made. He added that he was “somewhat confident” that would change with the help of forensic evidence.

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