SAN ANTONIO — A heartbroken family is desperately seeking information about whoever killed their well-loved son and brother.
It happened in broad daylight in the parking lot of the Blue Vine apartment complex Tuesday.
"There's nothing we won't do to get justice for our brother and make sure that whoever did this is punished to the fullest," Jason Leard said after the killing of his brother.
Family members said that up until about 2:30 Tuesday, 31-year-old Zachary Leard was the kind of soul who lit up every space he ever entered.
His siblings said he was a fun and loving person. His sister Joslin agreed, saying: "That's not enough to describe him."
They say they don't know why Zach was on the 6900 block of Vandiver, but they wonder if he was lured to his death by a social media app.
"It could be a hate crime," Jason said. "My brother was gay, so I don’t know if that is a part of why he was shot or somebody took advantage of him because they thought he was an easy target."
Police say someone shot Zach and left him to die in a parking lot before taking his vehicle and cell phone.
“The car is a blue Nissan Rogue, kind of a dark, deep blue. It recently had black rims put on it. There is some damage to his driver's side window on the case on the outside of the vehicle,” Jason said. “He's got a prominent Parker McCollum sticker on his back windshield, because that was his favorite musician.”
The vehicle, which sports Texas license plate PLY2580, is pictured below.
Joslin said Zach, the fourth of five siblings, was the one person who always looked out for everyone else.
“On the way over here I thought, 'What would he want me to do?'" she said. "He's the type of guy that would say, 'Do your makeup.' He was always putting his best self forward.”
Joslin said Zach’s circle of friends was broad.
"He worked at a prominent gay bar, Pegasus, so I would say to the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and especially who knew my brother: You knew him best. You knew what type of person he was when he wasn’t around family. Of course he is going to hide stuff, so any information you can provide will be helpful."
The family said there is no interest in shame or blame, only in gathering enough clues to help police find Zach’s killer. They say if this had happened to someone else in the community, Zach would have led the charge for justice.
“He would pour his heart into a cause like this,” Joslin said.
Police have released few clues related to the murder, but Joslin said she knows there are plenty of people who might be able to help.
“He knows a ton of people, kept up with a ton of people. He would make sure everybody knew the victim's name, the type of car. He would make sure all the information was spread to his community,” Joslin said.
Speculating about what might have happened, Jason said everyone should be careful when meeting strangers.
“We feel he may have been lured into that situation through an app. You never know who you're meeting when you are meeting strangers through applications for any reason. (On) OfferUp you could be trying to sell something, have an encounter, anything, and people should be aware of what they're doing and who they're contacting.”
Joslin said she hopes Zach’s friends will come forward with any information because it’s what he would have done. She hopes his friends will be vigilant.
“Make sure you are sharing your location. Make sure you are telling people where you are. You don't have to tell me; tell your best friend. Tell somebody," she said. "It's just something that needs to be done because I don't want another family to go through this."
The family said Vandiver Road between Eisenhauer and Austin Highway is densely populated and heavily traveled. They hope whoever killed Zach and stole his car ditched it somewhere near the area. They hope anyone who lives or works nearby will be on the lookout and help them find justice.
The siblings also said they are very grateful for the outpouring of support they’ve received since word of the murder started to spread on social media.
“My phone has not stopped buzzing from people I never even spoke to, to reach out to me to express condolences for our brother," Jason said.
“Look at his Facebook page; there are so many different types of people wishing our family condolences," his sister Joslin added. "Wishing us healing, love and sharing memories. All of these people I don't even know. It's so touching to know he impacted so many people.”
The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio posted the following statement to social media late Wednesday evening: