Tamara Watkins said she is worried about the safety of students who walk to and from Walzem Elementary after a woman was run down and killed in the school parking lot Saturday.
“It really devastated me when I seen the incident that occurred on Saturday,” she said.
Police said the victim was living in a ramshackle house just fifty feet from school property. Witnesses told police the woman was arguing with the man who owns the property and as she walked away, the man followed in his car, intentionally running over her several times.
The name of the 54-year old victim has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.
“I am concerned for the safety of the children. All the violence we have going on here, it's a shame," Watkins said. "If we could work better as a community, to keep the kids safer, it would be good.”
Watkins said she doesn’t understand why the city has not acted to enforce health and safety codes in the building, where people are living amid garbage without electricity or water service. Watkins said it is frightening to watch transients come and go from the distressed structure as children are walking nearby on their way to class.
One mom, who walks her child to school every day said she is tired of the threat. “You know that's not good. It's not safe for kids,” the mother said. "There's junkie drug addicts, you know, and it is a fire hazard with all the stuff piled around."
NEISD spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor said the principal of the school has been begging the city to act for at least two years.
A code compliance spokesman disputed that claim, but they went on to point out that there are five open code compliance cases pending.
The listed owner of the building is the man charged with murder. 89-year-old John Bogard remained in the Bexar County Jail as of late Monday with a bond of $100,000.
Jail officials say if he makes bail, he will be required to wear an ankle monitor, but some parents said that offers little comfort.
In addition to Saturday's murder, San Antonio Police have been called to the property 17 times in the last 12 months for fights, assaults and disturbances.
A Code Compliance spokesperson said a team plans on visiting the site Tuesday, where they expect to serve a 72-hour notice to vacate order.
Representatives from the city’s Human Services division will offer anyone on the property relocation assistance if needed, but the plan is to remove the tenants and secure the structure.