SAN ANTONIO — When two blasts of rapid fire gunshots filled the air in east San Antonio around 1am, a nearby San Antonio Police Officer heard the shots and called for backup.
It happened near East Houston and Polaris streets, about 200 yards from where another man was shot dead back in August.
This time, the victim was just 24 years old. His name has not been released yet, nor have officers said anything at all about possible suspects.
But people who live nearby, and are tired of living their lives to a soundtrack of violence have plenty to say.
Elizabeth West lives a couple of short blocks away from the murder scene.
West spent the morning working the phone, trying to get someone at the police department to agree to get Police Chief William McManus to come to a meeting with neighbors.
With the passion of someone who has been listening to gunfire for years, West said "You haven't been in my neighborhood! Yes. You are a Police Chief. You are a Captain. But have you been in this neighborhood? Have you spent one night here to hear what goes on? Nobody deserves to live like this."
West said she fears a stray bullet could penetrate her house and kill a family member. "It's out here almost every night. Two nights before that? We heard gunshots. Last week we heard gunshots three nights in a row. What's it going to take?" West exclaimed, adding she does not understand why more affluent areas have more adequate responses from police.
West said "Why? Because they've all got money? Why should we suffer because we are lower income than they are. We have the same rights and I don't understand why should they get priority over us, when one bullet can go right through this window and kill my mother or kill me! It just makes no sense!"
West said neighbors have joined forces to install a web of surveillance cameras and replaced the cameras when vandals have broken them.
The neighbors shared video of an angry woman coming off the street with a long piece of lumber and smashing several of the cameras. West said the all-seeing eyes were repaired or replaced as soon as possible, and that as a group, they have done every single thing police officers have asked of them to improve conditions in the area.
"We've got plenty of proof! We've got 15 cameras around here! We've got 18 neighbors looking out," West said, arguing that none of their efforts have made a substantive difference because there is still lead in the air on a regular basis.
While the group was not yet able to set a date for a meeting with McManus, there is an upcoming forum for District 2 residents to sound off on crime concerns.
The Neighborhood Safety and Crime Prevention Summit is scheduled for Tuesday October 11 at 6pm at the Second Baptist Church Community Center at 3310 East Commerce.
District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said the event will be an interactive discussion that will include organizations doing crime prevention work in the area.