SAN ANTONIO — After an especially violent weekend, speaking with conviction, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus emphatically said accountability is vital in every step of the criminal justice process.
McManus said “There has to be accountability. If you commit a crime you have to be held accountable for it and there is evidence based research that shows that if you're not, things will get out of control and I think in many cases, there are people walking the street who should be in jail.”
Monday McManus released new details on several recent shootings, starting with an attack Friday on Eisenhauer Road that resulted in four people being shot.
Police say 15-year-old Christopher Telfair died when he and others were ambushed in what the Chief called a targeted attack.
“That stems from an incident at Roosevelt High School in the weeks prior to the shooting. There was a fight, this was payback. This was not the first attempt to get to the individual they were targeting,” McManus said.
McManus added the hunt for suspects continues in a Saturday attack in the 1500 block of Upland in east San Antonio at the Antioch Village Apartments.
18-year-old Geremiah Hardeman died in that ambush and two others were said to be critical. McManus said they are pursuing leads but he declined to release any information about the suspects or their vehicle.
When bullets filled the air at the Antioch Apartments the only person who ended up under arrest at the scene was a 32-year-old woman who may be related to the deceased.
McManus said she was charged with assaulting a police officer by hitting an officer who was trying to keep her out of the crime scene.
Court records indicate the woman was released on a $1,000 bond shortly after her arrest.
Moving on to a Sunday shooting at North Star Mall that sent shoppers running for exits, McManus said this fatal shooting was a targeted attack as well.
Police said 33-year-old Adam Glass was killed by two gunmen as he sat in a barber shop getting a haircut.
McManus said surveillance video shows two males being dropped off outside the mall and that the actual attack lasted less than six seconds, before the gunmen fled back to their vehicle and made their escape.
McManus provided vague descriptions of the men and nothing about the vehicle, except to say “There's no more I can give you on that. We have a lot of information on that we believe is going to be helpful but I can't reveal any of it.”
Two of the recent attacks might be related, according to McManus, but he wouldn’t say which two or why they believe there could be a connection.
“This is all targeted. These are not random mass shootings where somebody is just opening up into a crowd. They were very specific and targeted events,” McManus said, while admitting that any time shots are fired there is danger to innocents who may be in the area.
McManus cited a previous shooting on Future Drive on May 8 as an example. In that drive-by attack two-year-old Mackenzie Hernandez-Garcia, who was inside a home, was shot to death.
“There absolutely is collateral damage. In each one of these shootings, starting with the one of Future, there was collateral damage. A two-year-old was not the intended target,” McManus said.
Insisting that police are aggressively enforcing the law, McManus said accountability across the justice system continues to be an issue.
McManus said “I've said it before and I will continue to say it. The police department is working hard out there and our arrests are up this year over last year, last year over the year before.”
But the Chief said after arrests are made, the course of the investigation is out of their hands.
“We so often arrest people who are out on more than one bond. They're out on probation and they get arrested again and their probation is not revoked and there's another bond issued. That is an issue! It's an issue for the police department. It's an issue for every person walking the street, who could be put in danger by these folks who are being put back on the street!” McManus said.
Community advocate Adrianne House agrees more needs to be done to create safer streets, especially in east San Antonio.
House said some non-profit organizations that serve the east side are hoping a shuttered school could be used as a resource hub for teens in need.
“Right now there is a bunch of grassroots community organizers and advocates who are asking for SAISD to allow us to utilize WW White Elementary. We are aware that they are concerned about money issues, and how to fund it if we are able to use the school but someone needs to sit and talk to us,” House said.
House, who has lost relatives to gun violence, said "We are in a state of emergency now and everything we need is inside that school, from the kitchen to a gym, classrooms and the children we are losing come from around those areas."
A spokesman for SAISD said the district already has a plan to use the building for another purpose, but House believes a good faith effort for solutions must continue.
House, who is well familiar with the justice system after her son was shot and paralyzed in 2017, said “Here we are again in 2023 and it has gotten worse.”
“We are asking that the community stand behind us, that the constituents stand behind us and everybody stands behind us and help us get this resource,” House said.
“What we are experiencing is a loss of children. We are losing our children whether these attacks are targeted or not and unless we have resources put into place that can help these young individuals then we will continue to keep losing children,” House said.
“What I know is that I have a community that seems to be at war right now and we need to find ways to combat this war,” House insisted, saying “When you have 14 and 15-year-old children running around with guns and acting like they are going to war that is a problem. We need to combat this problem.”
While the investigations continue, a minister who lost his own son to gun violence is organizing a community event to generate support for peace.
Flyers for the “No More Violence Peace March and Rally” say on June 9 at 7:00pm, supporters will gather at the corner of Walters and East Houston at the True Holiness Church to advocate for change. More information can be found by dialing 210-393-8432.