SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Police Chief William McManus gave an update Monday after a bloody first weekend of June across San Antonio.
Between Friday and Sunday, there were six separate fatal shootings across the city. From residential areas, to a soccer field, to the North Star Mall, six were killed and six others injured in a series of shootings that haven't been connected at this time. Many of the victims were teens, and police believe some of the victims were targeted.
At a news conference Monday, Chief McManus said two of the shootings may be related, but did not say which ones.
“We believe at this moment, a couple of these shootings may have some nexus, there may be some relationship between them,” Chief McManus said. “But it remains, we believe, a fact that these are all targeted incidents, events. Each of these events was targeted and not random.”
The first shooting was at an apartment complex on the northeast side on Friday afternoon. SAPD said one teen was killed and another was injured, along with a 5-year-old boy and a 60-year-old woman. Chief William McManus said it was a drive-by targeting one of the teen boys who was shot. The victim who died was identified as Christopher Telfair, 15. Chief McManus said that shooting stemmed from an incident at Roosevelt High School weeks ago. He said there was a fight and this was "pay back".
McManus said the apartment complex where this happened is not known as a problem area, and said that a drive-by shooting can happen anywhere the intended target happens to be.
"Drive-by shootings are always dangerous to not only the intended target, but to other people who happen to be in the line of fire. Unfortunately in this case there were three other people in the line of fire who were not the intended target," McManus said.
"Drive-bys can happen anywhere, it just depends where the person that the shooters are after... it just depends where they are. It can happen anywhere," McManus said.
Later that night at an east-side park, a fight during a soccer game ended in a fatal shooting. One man was shot in the chest and later died. The medical examiner identified him as Erik Rios Navarro, 19.
A few hours later on the far west side, a girl was killed in what witnesses told police was an accidental shooting. The victim was identified as Alea Briones, 17. Police said the suspect told them he was taking the gun apart when it went off and struck Briones in the stomach.
Early on Saturday morning, a Bexar County Sheriff's deputy responded to a home near Fair Oaks Ranch where authorities said a man had assaulted some of his family members.
BCSO says the man assaulted the deputy with a knife, and that the deputy unsuccessfully tried to use a stun gun on him. Sheriff Javier Salazar says the deputy shot the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as Ryan Stanush, 32. The deputy and one of the family members were injured.
On Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m., one person was killed and two others injured at an apartment complex on the east side. Again, McManus said he believed the shooting was targeted. He said a car with multiple people waited in the parking lot of the Antioch Village apartments and opened fire when the target left an apartment.
McManus said associates of the intended target showed up in a second car and tried to pick him up, leading to a shootout. He said one associate of the intended target was killed and two others were wounded. The victim who died has been identified as Geremiah Hardeman, 18.
On Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m., shoppers at North Star Mall ran for cover as shots rang out. Police said two men entered a barbershop inside the mall and opened fire on a man who was getting his hair cut. They believe he was targeted, and stressed it was not an active shooter situation.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, police said a 30-year-old man was shot during an argument in the street on the northwest side. Police said the victim was in critical condition, but was conscious and talking. They said the suspect pulled a handgun from his bag and shot the man before fleeing down Evers Road on foot.
In total, six people across San Antonio were killed by gunfire in about 48 hours, all in those shootings. Six other people were injured, between the ages of 5 and 60. At least four of the victims killed had not yet turned 20.
In the news conference Monday, Chief McManus was asked how to go about addressing gun violence among young people.
"There are a lot of issues right now that I think are causing gun violence throughout this country. One of them obviously is the access to firearms," Chief McManus said. "It seems that anyone who wants to carry a gun is carrying it. And there are people out there who, in the past, you may not suspect would be carrying a firearm, but today, they sure are."
He also made a point about accountability and jail time for violent criminals.
"We are out there putting people in jail where we have probable cause for making an arrest. There has to be accountability. If you commit a crime, you have to be held accountable for it. There is evidence-based research that shows if you are not, things will get out of control. And I think, in many cases, there are people out there walking the streets who should be in jail," Chief McManus said. "We so often arrest people who are out on bond, they are out on probation...that is an issue."