SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police are searching for a second man who they said invaded an upstairs apartment at the Avistar at Chase Hill complex overnight, leading to a deadly gun battle inside that Northwest Side home.
One of the intruders and a man in his 20s who either lived in or was visiting the apartment both died as a result of the gunfire, police said.
Officers at the scene in the 15800 block of Chase Hill Boulevard said two men forced their way into the second-floor unit shortly before 2 a.m. and began demanding the residents' property.
At least one of the intruders was armed with a gun, and got into a shootout with someone in a bedroom who had a shotgun, they said.
According to one officer at the scene, it appears the man with the shotgun killed that intruder, and also may have shot his friend accidentally.
However, he said it will be up to the medical examiner to make the final determination.
The second intruder was able to run away.
Detectives remained at the home for hours, collecting evidence in and around the apartment.
In the middle of it all, Trey Westall ran up, inquiring about what happened. He said he knows the people who live in the unit, and considers one of them to be his mentor.
"Everyone there, they're good people. It's just ... it's hard," Westall said, holding back tears.
While he was relieved to learn later that his closest friend was actually out of town at the time of the break-in, Westall said he still feels for that man's roommates.
Other neighbors, meanwhile, said their feelings of safety and security have been shaken.
"It's shocking for us because this is a community that we didn't expect something as serious as that -- two people getting killed," said Janay Weber.
"Break-ins you hear about off and on, you know, but not something as drastic as this," she said.
Police, early on, were not sure whether the robbery was random, or if the victims may have been targeted purposely.
As of 11:30 a.m., the names of the dead men had not been released.
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