SAN ANTONIO — As violence continues to disrupt daily life in an east San Antonio neighborhood, residents united Wednesday to mourn two young men killed in a drive-by shooting the day before.
The east-side community is still mourning the two men killed in the shooting, the fourth time in just a week that gunfire rang out in this area.
On Wednesday night, family and friends held a vigil in honor of the two men killed, releasing red balloons in their memory.
Police identified the victims as 20-year-old Corey Byrd and 16-year-old Sebastian Roro Montez.
Police said while three men were standing on the corner of Hays and Lockhart just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, three men in a black Ford SUV pulled up and starting shooting.
Montez died at the scene, and Byrd died later at the hospital. Police said the third victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Avonte Boice was close friends with Montez and was nearby when the shooting happened.
“I sat there and shook my brother, his eyes still rolling...that don’t make no sense,” he said.
The shooting on Tuesday was the fourth in a string of violence hitting this neighborhood in the last week.
“Three people dead in one week. So it’s like now we've got to be more careful (with) what we say, what we do, what we’re doing,” said an 18-year-old girl attending the vigil who did not want to be identified.
Police said the shooting is gang-related and believe the suspects are connected to three other shootings nearby.
“If these guys are still running around out there, and they’re hell-bent on retaliatory shootings, then, yeah, there still exists a danger in the community,” said San Antonio Chief of Police William McManus.
While police are still searching for the suspects, this community is still trying to make sense of the tragedy.
“I’m just in shock, there’s no words,” said Aaliya Losoya, a friend of Montez’s.
McManus said investigators have made progress in the case, and he’s confident arrests will soon be made.
However, he’s still urging neighbors to call police if they have any information. Callers can remain anonymous.
If you have information, call SAPD Homicide at (210)207-7635.