SAN ANTONIO — A shootout between law enforcement and a wanted man sent shoppers at a northwest-side Walmart running for cover Saturday night. Now, Texas Rangers are investigating.
"It was very scary. My heart was beating, I was shaking, it was very scary. I never thought something like this would happen, especially at a Walmart," said Brandie Avila.
Avila described the moments she and her family heard gunshots ring out at the Walmart at 8030 Bandera Road.
"When I heard the first one, it just sounded like a loud bang like something had fell, but then I heard it again back to back. I was like no that's gunshots let's go. I grabbed my son and we ran out of there. I fell with my little one, luckily my other son picked him up, and we just ran out the back door," Avila said.
This all unfolded Saturday night, just before 9 p.m. An affidavit states that witnesses in Bandera County said that Andrew Harrison Lester shot and killed Amber Nicole Ashlaw and left the scene on a motorcycle. The suspect was on a motorcycle and tried to get away from Bandera County Deputies. Multiple law enforcement agencies joined the chase that ended at the Walmart. The affidavit says Lester rode the motorcycle into the Walmart and fired a shot inside the store before a deputy shot him.
"They told us don't look back, just keep running. We went through the back. There's a walking trail in the back. They said just keep going, because we didn't know if the shooter was following us," Avila said.
Avila says she is just thankful, her family was able to make it out of the Walmart safely.
"Everyone was just running out. Workers running out, everyone just trying to grab their loved ones and run out as fast as they can," said Avila.
Texas Rangers were called into investigate the shooting.