SAN ANTONIO – A man's body was found early Tuesday morning off Interstate 10 on the far Northwest Side, Bexar County sheriff's deputies said.
Deputies received a call around 4 a.m. that a body was lying on Ralph Fair Road off I-10 West, Sgt. Augustin Pruneda said.
Deputies discovered that a man had been hit by a vehicle and his body had been dragged approximately 75 yards.
Deputies said the victim was likely a homeless man who was well-known in the area.
"It's heartbreaking knowing somebody for that long ... I don't know, it's kind of hard," said Octavia Fraire, who works at a convenience store nearby and described the victim as a loyal customer.
"Last night I actually talked to him before I guess this happened, and we were just talking about, like, his burns on his legs, because his leg was all burned from being in the sun out too much," said Gloria Degollado, who also works at the convenience store.
Four hours before he was run over, deputies had spoken to the victim.
"Our deputies made contact with him at the shopping strip near the location. He was advised that he couldn't be sleeping in the area," Pruneda said.
He said the man might have been sleeping underneath an 18-wheeler, and said the driver might not have known that he struck the victim.
Several people believe that the driver who hit the man was in a big rig that often parks in the area. Investigators hope to confirm that using surveillance video from nearby stores.
Pruneda said it was too early to know whether the driver will face charges.