SAN ANTONIO – The general manager of the company that owns a half-dozen businesses in San Antonio’s gay business district said he is reviewing safety procedures after a drive-by shooting occurred Monday morning.
The shooting happened on Main Street outside Pegasus Bar, which is owned by a different company. Three people were hurt, and the shooter is still on the run.
Martin Rivas said the shooting was a chance for some of his 160 employees to put their training to use.
Rivas said his staff members have been given clear instructions in their employee handbooks on how to handle acts of violence.
"You want to lock the doors as fast as you can and get people to a safe area as fast as you can," he said.
Employees implemented the policy with the help of the San Antonio Police Department after the deadly shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
Police said the shooting on Monday was an isolated incident and was not motivated by a hate crime, but with more than 3,000 weekly visitors to the gay business district, also known as The Strip, Rivas said employees have to be ready at a moment’s notice.
"Customer protection is our business. We want to make sure you come here and you're safe. We want you to feel safe," Rivas said.
This was the first time Rivas’ employees put their safety plan to action. They reviewed video of their response Monday and will make changes and also plan on performing a drill in the near future.
There are surveillance cameras outside the business on The Strip, and Rivas said police are reviewing the videos to come up with a suspect description.