SAN ANTONIO — A feud between neighbors turned deadly after police say a woman hit a man with her car early Monday morning.
He died instantly and the woman, identified as 58-year-old Anna O'Rourke, was detained outside of her house on the northwest side of San Antonio.
It happened around 1:40 a.m. on Putman Farm Street near Big Meadows Lane.
Police did not say what their feud was about, but they did learn the two had been fighting for years. Officers say things got so heated between the two that the woman got into her car and ran over her neighbor, killing him.
Authorities say 56-year-old Stephen Sanders died in the driveway across the street from her house and police were called.
“It’s really tragic," said Josiah, longtime neighbor and friend of Sanders. “They found him on the road, they picked him up, took him over to the driveway and started trying to resuscitate."
Josiah's grandmother Bertha knew Sanders since he was 17.
They acknowledge there was some type of feud between Sanders and O'Rourke, but they didn't expect it to end in death. Bertha claimed O'Rourke had issues with many neighbors that warranted calling law enforcement. However, Bertha said alerting police about O'Rourke's unpredictable behavior led nowhere. She stressed what happened Monday morning could have been avoided.
Bertha, Josiah and other neighbors are now focused on grieving the loss of a man many loved like family.
“He actually built a tree house in my backyard for me. Taught me how to cut wood," Josiah said.
“We’re going to miss his help, his love and kindness, his smile, his barbecues because he would barbecue a lot. He was a good helper in the neighborhood," Bertha said.
As for O'Rourke, she faces a murder charge. Her bond is set at $150,000.
“When things go this way you just kind of hope for some type of justice," Josiah said.
If you would like to help Stephen Sanders' family with funeral expenses, please visit this GoFundMe link.