SAN ANTONIO — A woman is facing tough questions after San Antonio police found a man shot to death on the east side overnight.
Officers responded to a shooting at a home along the 100 block of Denver Boulevard near I-37 just before 3 a.m. Friday.
Police discovered a 45-year-old man dead with a gunshot wound to his chest. He also possessed several cuts on both of his arms. The Bexar County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Darryl Gonzales.
Investigators interviewed the 44-year-old woman who claimed she was being assaulted by the victim and shot him in response.
Police have not made any arrests but the investigation is ongoing.
The incident has sparked questions about domestic violence, which impacts more than one in three American women during their lifetime. One in three men in the U.S. also experience intimate partner violence, according to the San Antonio-based Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence.
For more than 40 years, Patricia Castillo has helped thousands of people who've lived in various domestic abuse environments. She's pushed for a stronger partnership between law enforcement, the courts and non-profits to address the widespread issue.
“You might be the neighbor of a family where there’s domestic violence. If you have to listen to that, your children have to listen to that, you’re being traumatized. I am very glad that our community is looking at domestic violence as a public health problem.”
Since 1977, Family Violence Prevention Services has served as a symbol of hope for countless victims of domestic violence. The organization operates the Battered Women and Children's Shelter and provides several forms of assistance with the goal to break the cycle of violence.
“We have an array of comprehensive services that takes them from that physical and emotional crisis to self-sufficiency. It includes housing, educational services, jobs," said Marta Pelaez, president and CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services.
Pelaez stressed the majority of victims are children, which is why she believes it's paramount to address generational violence.
“Be conscientious that one in three is the statistic here in Bexar County that is a lot of women a lot of people who are suffering at the hands of someone who claims to love them," Pelaez said.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To learn more about local resources, go here.