Child in gunman's vehicle worries murder victim's family

Family believes Gary Davila may have known his killer

SAN ANTONIO – Already reeling from their loss, the family of a man who was fatally shot said they're also worried about the child who police said was in the back seat of the gunman's vehicle.

"Cold blooded, to have a child witness that, I can just imagine what that child has been living through," Elena Davila, the victim's older sister, said.

San Antonio police officers at the scene said witnesses reported seeing a child, possibly 8 years old, in the back seat.

Police said Gary Davila, 35, was walking on a sidewalk Sunday afternoon in the 8600 block of Five Palms, when an older man in a dark vehicle stopped across the street and called him over. Moments later, the gunman fired a fatal shot to Davila's neck, police said.

Elena Davila said the child was likely traumatized by what happened.

"We just don't know until they find him, who that child was," she said.

Davila said her family believes that the victim apparently felt comfortable enough to walk up to the driver's-side window.

"We think he may have known him," she said.

But his family said the victim, who lived with his parents, never spoke of having problems with anyone.

Family members described Gary Davila as kind, often doing odd jobs for neighbors.

"Everybody knew him," Rudy Jimenez, the victim's brother-in-law, said.

Elena Davila said police at first were unable to say the victim was her brother because no identification was found.

"We were holding on to hope that maybe he just left," she said.

But after police confirmed the victim was Gary Davila, she was devastated.

"That hope was gone. It's just crushing. He didn't deserve that," Elena Davila

Martin Davila, the victim's father said if he could, he would ask the killer one question. "I want an explanation. What happened that day that he had to do this to my son?" he said.

Davila's mother declined to speak as she sat on a couch hugging her son's photo. The victim's sister said, "Why did you have to take our brother away?"

Martin Davila said he prayed each day for his 10 children.

"It's a real tragedy that this happened to our family," he said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP (7867).

The family has set up a Go Fund Me account in hopes of raising money to pay for Davila's funeral. Click here to make a donation.

 

 


About the Author:

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.