SAN ANTONIO – A deadly shooting near a San Antonio middle school has a Northwest Side community concerned about the ditch where the shooting occurred.
The shooting happened at 8:15 a.m. on Friday in the 1100 block of Shadwell Drive, near Bandera Road and Hillcrest Drive.
Police said the victim, a man in his 20s, was found dead in the ditch, having been shot several times.
Neighbors heard those gun shots and called 911.
"It's not uncommon around here to hear gunshots," said Andrew Cottingham, who woke up to the gunshots on Friday morning. "It's actually relatively common. There's been a lot of nastiness going on lately. I stayed inside the house at first. I figured maybe it was someone just popping off shots or whatever, but when we heard police and the (helicopter), we knew it was serious."
Although police said this shooting was more than likely an isolated incident, neighbors are concerned about the ditch where the victim was found because it extends to Longfellow Middle School and students walk through it all the time.
"There's an elementary school where my kids attend and a middle school across the street," said Gabriel Huerta. "So I just worry about the kids around here. There's a lot of kids that walk. I've seen kids that are 4 feet tall walking home with their siblings. I just see it as unsafe."
District 7 City Councilman Cris Medina talked to neighbors about their concerns on Friday afternoon.
Medina said the ditch near Shadwell is not safe for kids to access and that he's been working on a way to close it off for good.
"We're working with the city right now, working with the district to close off that access point and no longer allow access through there," said Medina. "This is the type of thing that we don't want in and around our schools."
No arrests have been made in the shooting. Police investigators have said they were told that at least two men were seen running from the scene.