Police find signs of break-in at East Side home where man was shot, killed

Victim identified as Joseph Rodriguez, 26

SAN ANTONIO – A man who was shot and killed in his East Side home early Friday morning has been identified as Joseph Rodriguez, 26.

Officers who were responding to a 911 call shortly before 4 a.m. found Rodriguez lying in a hallway of a home in the 200 block of Marmok Street. 

A preliminary police report said Rodriguez suffered more than one gunshot wound.

The report said officers found that the front door had been forced open.

A woman and several children were in the home at the time of the shooting, the report said.

San Antonio police Sgt. Ryan Luza said the woman told officers that Rodriguez was shot after he went to investigate a noise.

"One of the children inside heard something at the window and alerted the husband," Luza said.

The woman told officers that she heard gunshots and found Rodriguez fatally wounded, Luza said.

Police initially said the shooter was a man in his 30s. Later, they said they didn't know his age because he had some sort of covering or mask on his face.

The police report said the woman who was with Rodriguez gave conflicting stories about the shooting and who was responsible.

Either way, neighbors said it is disturbing.

"It's a tough morning, this morning, as we go forward with our day," said Renee Watson, captain of the Neighborhood Watch Program.  "We woke up this morning with our minds set on where we wanted to go and what we needed to do. And to come out and find this kind of activity, especially when we have so many children on our street -- we're just very emotional right now."

Watson and other members of the volunteer safety group said they hoped their efforts might help prevent this sort of trouble.

"That's very disturbing, especially for the children that were there in the home that was involved," said the Rev. Bryant Livingston, a neighbor.

Livingston called for prayers for the victim and his family.

Loulella Williams said it's the neighborhood that needs prayer. She said she has noticed a drastic change during the more than six decades that she has called the area home.

"We have quite a few seniors on this place, some widows who live alone, and so we are very concerned," Williams said.

Marmok Street is not located on anyone's beaten path. It's deep inside a neighborhood not far from the Coca-Cola plant on the city's East side.

Watson said the area see its share of crime. She said she has seen police at the same home several times.

According to police records, there have been three emergency calls to that address since January 2016. 


About the Author:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.