People walking in park come to aid of man shot in face

SAPD: Suspect drove off in victim's truck

SAN ANTONIO – A daily exercise ritual for Lydia Martinez and Esther Garza of walking laps at a South Side park was interrupted Monday morning by a strange sound and an unusual sight.

"We saw a small white pickup. We heard the shot and we saw the man getting (out of the truck)," Martinez said.

Martinez and Garza said they instantly knew what the sound was -- a gunshot. But when they saw the man who stepped out of the vehicle, they weren't sure what to think. They knew enough, though, to call 911.

"When we got up here, we didn't know who he was, but he was bleeding and he told us he was shot (in his cheek), and it came out from his mouth," Martinez said.

Garza said he appeared to be pacing, possibly "from the pain, but going back and forth."

Police arrived at Arnold Park in the 1500 block of Hunter Boulevard, and spoke to the 35-year-old man before he was transported to University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Officers said he told them the man who shot him was a passenger in his pickup who was an acquaintance.

Officers said the victim told them he was sitting in his parked truck looking through his cell phone. He said the passenger suddenly began yelling about some phone numbers, then pulled out a gun and fired, hitting him in the face. The man told investigators he had no idea what prompted the violence.

After the shooting, the passenger jumped into the driver's seat and sped off in the victim's truck, police said.

Martinez said she witnessed his escape.

"He took off with the truck, cell phone, everything. He just took off," she said.

According to a sergeant at the scene, investigators know the name of the suspect. He said it would only be a matter of time before police tracked him down.


About the Author:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.