SAN ANTONIO – The year was filled with several major news events across the San Antonio and the South Texas area. Here’s a look back at the 12 biggest local news stories of 2017.
Sutherland Springs church shooting
The Sutherland Spring church shooting occurred Nov. 5 at the First Baptist Church and claimed the lives of 26 people and injured at least 20 more.
The gunman, identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley, opened fire outside and then inside the church during Sunday service.
A neighbor who heard the gunfire went outside and shot Kelley as he exited the church.
Kelley fled in an SUV, but was chased by the neighbor and another man, who called authorities.
Kelley crashed his vehicle during the pursuit and was later pronounced dead at the scene. The attack was the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in Texas.
SAPD officers Miguel Moreno, Julio Cavazos shot in line of duty
San Antonio police officers Miguel Moreno and Julio Cavazos were shot June 29 in the 200 block of Evergreen Street during an investigation into car burglaries.
The officers approached two men and one opened fire, striking Moreno in the head and Cavazos in the chin.
Cavazos dragged Moreno out of the line of fire and returned fire, striking the gunman in the buttocks.
The gunman also suffered a gunshot wound to the head and died a short time later. Cavazos survived, but Moreno was pronounced dead the next day.
Moreno, a UT-Austin and Lanier High School graduate, was with SAPD for nine years. He is survived by his mother, father, three sisters and brother.
SA firefighter Deem killed, two others injured battling shopping center fire
San Antonio firefighter Scott Deem, 31, died and two other firefighters suffered serious injuries in May when they responded to a four-alarm fire at a strip mall in the 6700 block of Ingram Road.
The fire broke out at the Spartan Box Gym and became so intense, fire crews had to take a defensive approach after Deem became trapped inside.
Deem’s body was later recovered from the gym. The other two firefighters injured were identified as Robert Vasquez and Brad Phipps.
After a lengthy investigation, San Antonio police arrested the gym’s owner, 39-year-old Emond Javor Johnson, in connection with the fire.
Johnson admitted he started the fire because he was behind on rent and had other debts. Deem was a six-year veteran of SAFD and left behind a wife and three children.
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Hurricane Harvey hits Texas gulf coast and leads to state wide gas panic
Hurricane Harvey barreled into Texas in late August and inflicted major damage across the gulf coast.
The storm went toward Houston and left parts of the city under water, leading to dozens of deaths.
A byproduct of the storm was the post-hurricane gas panic that swept the city.
Hundreds of area gas stations ran dry as drivers rushed to pump and waited in long lines for hours to fill up amid fears of a production disruption.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg urged drivers to stay patient and stick to normal practices during the Labor Day weekend. Gas stations slowly went back to normal.
Tornado outbreak in northeast parts of city, Alamo Heights area
Multiple tornadoes touched down in parts of San Antonio during the late night hours of Feb. 19.
The tornadoes tore through several areas, including Alamo Heights, the Quarry and parts of the North and Northeast Sides of the city.
Dozens of homes and property were damaged and then San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor issued a disaster declaration days later.
The National Weather Service said a total of four tornadoes touched down across the San Antonio area.
Immigrant smuggling discovered at Walmart
A human trafficking case on the Southwest Side led to the deaths of 10 people and sent several others to the hospital in critical condition.
Dozens of immigrants were found inside a closed, hot semitrailer that was in the parking lot of a Walmart in the 8500 block of S. Interstate 35.
A Walmart employee called authorities after he was approached by a man asking for water.
Police and paramedics arrived and took the victims out of trailer. The driver of the truck, 60-year-old James Matthew Bradley of Florida, was arrested and faces multiple charges.
Good Samaritan fatally shot during robbery at Rolling Oaks Mall
A good Samaritan was killed when gunshots were fired during a jewelry store robbery inside the Rolling Oaks Mall Jan. 22.
Jonathan Murphy, 42, attempted to intervene and was shot by the suspects, who wounded others inside the mall.
Another man was carrying a gun and shot one of the suspects. The second suspect was located and arrested a day after the shooting.
SAPD officers accused of sex while on duty
The KSAT Defenders uncovered a sexual misconduct case in February that led to the removal of two SAPD officers.
An internal affairs investigation determined Eman Fondren and Rebecca Martinez repeatedly disabled the GPS units on their patrol vehicles and engaged in sexual misconduct with one another while on duty.
Police released documents related to the firings in late December 2016, more than seven months after they were first requested by The Defenders.
The records included more than 160 pages of text messages, many graphic in detail, sent between the two officers, who both worked an overnight shift.
Robert E. Lee High School name change
The North East Independent School District made a controversial decision in October to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School amid a nationwide controversy about memorializing Confederate leaders.
The name of the high school was changed to Legacy of Educational Excellence High School or LEE for short. The change drew backlash and support.
Trustees said the change will be effective next school year.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sounds off on President Donald Trump
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich made headlines for his public criticism of President Donald Trump on several occasion this past year.
Popovich was particularly outspoken during the Spurs 2017 media day in late September. Popovich did not mince words about the president and spoke at length about the divisiveness of the country .
His comments came on the heels of an NFL weekend where several players denounced the president over his comments about them kneeling or locking arms during the national anthem.
“Our country’s an embarrassment to the world,” Popovich said during media day. “This is an individual who actually thought that when people held arms during the game, that they were doing it to honor the flag. That’s delusional. Absolutely delusional. But it’s what we have to live with.”
Ron Nirenberg elected as San Antonio's mayor
Ron Nirenberg unseated Ivy Taylor to become San Antonio’s new mayor in June.
Nirenberg defeated Taylor after receiving 54.5 percent of the vote in a runoff election.
This was the first election in 20 years that the incumbent mayor of San Antonio sought re-election and lost.
San Antonio and South Texas see rare snow
San Antonio and much of South Texas saw a winter wonderland this year as roughly 2 inches of snow fell across the area in early December.
It was the first time San Antonio had seen snow since 2014, but December’s event was the most amount of snowfall in decades.
San Antonians went outside to enjoy the snow and make memories that will last a lifetime.