San Antonio police officers and Bexar County sheriff’s deputies respond to nearly seven domestic violence–related calls every hour, a figure that underscores a long-standing problem in the region.
Across the region, communities are working to make the holidays special for children — many of whom are facing homelessness due to domestic violence.
A free turkey dinner can do more than save Thanksgiving. For a family that has escaped domestic violence, it can fuel independence.
Family disturbance calls typically rise about 25 percent during November and December, officials and advocates said, a trend that prompts extra patrols and outreach as gatherings and financial stressors increase.
A 16-year-old San Antonio teen who is seven months pregnant is sharing her story after being shot by her boyfriend on Oct. 26, in an effort to help others recognize the warning signs of teen dating violence.
Bustos, 36, was shot and killed by SAPD after the department said he shot at officers first. The shooting happened last Wednesday on the West Side.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A young victim who survived as a child stuck in a home where domestic violence was happening is speaking up on behalf of children stuck in that cycle.
The Kendall County Women’s Shelter began as a crisis hotline in 2006. As leaders recognized the growing need, they established a shelter in 2012.
KSAT has reported on a sweeping update on the domestic violence case backlog at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, the felony courts, and now, the misdemeanor courts.
It is a story people will rarely hear: a former domestic violence perpetrator admitting to their actions and talking about the interventions that turned their lives around.
This year’s annual Bexar County domestic violence symposium will be held Friday in downtown San Antonio.
Domestic violence survivors across Bexar County are concerned about how long some criminal cases are taking, with some waiting years.
Understaffed specialized prosecutors in Bexar County’s Family Violence Division still need to get through 6,177 total domestic violence cases including both felony and misdemeanor cases.
No one is denying it: there is a massive backlog of domestic violence cases in Bexar County, and across Texas. It’s a subject KSAT has been following for eight years now.
A sheriff’s deputy was arrested for allegedly assaulting a female deputy he was in a relationship with, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The San Antonio Police Department has fired an officer accused of repeatedly assaulting her SAPD boyfriend, city discipline records released this week show.
A Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy was suspended earlier this year for failing to arrest a suspect for family violence, despite telling the victim the man would be going to jail, discipline records show.
Officer Holvin Perez-Ortiz, a five-year veteran of SAPD, was given an indefinite suspension on April 10, city discipline records released on Wednesday show.
Denise Brown, Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister, visited the Alamo City on Friday to advocate for domestic violence survivors.
The City of Windcrest defended its decision to continue paying the owner of an animal boarding facility after he was arrested twice in seven months in separate felony assault cases.
The initiative, which launched in 2011, has decorated, cardboard figures to symbolize children in the community who may or are silently enduring abuse.
A man who confessed to murdering his girlfriend in 2023 was sentenced to 40 years in prison Monday after accepting a plea deal. For the victim’s family, they believe the punishment falls far short of delivering justice.
A nonprofit dedicated to serving victims of violence in Medina County has touched hundreds of lives in the city of Devine; however, after being forced to shut their shop’s doors due to financial difficulties, the owner is on the search for a new location.
It's been almost 20 years since a Texas law mandated teen dating violence protocols in schools, but a lot of districts aren't doing it. A new bill is addressing that.
Many domestic violence victims struggle to leave dangerous relationships, often because they don’t want to leave a pet behind — a reason several people don’t think of.
YWCA San Antonio has officially opened its new Women’s Live and Learn Center, a facility designed to provide women and their children with the resources they need to rebuild their lives.
The City of San Antonio passed an ordinance in October 2023 requiring all businesses and locations open to the public within city limits to have a sticker with domestic violence resources in their bathrooms.
While the murder warrant document was triggering for survivors like Mariah Gardner to read, she thought it a good opportunity to educate the community and share her own similar experiences.
A domestic violence survivor who knows they can get help from someone who understands their culture, is more likely to reach out. That's what a local organization is doing for South Asians here in Bexar County and the counties around it.
Rosemary Williams says you can’t go too far on the West Side of San Antonio without finding someone who would be willing to help you.
Experts teach communities it is everyone's responsibility to help prevent and stop domestic violence. It is difficult to intervene, especially when you don't know what to say. That's where those experts come in.
A rural area shelter directors say domestic violence impacts people in upscale families, and professionals but many are fearful to speak up because they don't want it to impact their social status or careers.
The husband of a missing woman out of Olmos Park was arrested on family violence charges. Survivors of domestic violence said this case should spark a bigger conversation in San Antonio.
The number in homicides relating to domestic violence are doubling in Bexar County in just a year, according to Bexar County officials during a press conference.
The San Antonio mother of a domestic violence victim is creating a foundation in honor of her daughter, who wasn’t as lucky as she was.
Mariah Gardner, and her young daughters were victims of domestic violence last year.
A domestic abuse survivor is dedicating her life to not only helping children understand when and the safest way to get out of harmful relationships, but also highlighting the subtle signs that can happen that lead up to that boiling point.
September isn’t just marked by meteorological fall or Labor Day, it’s also when an array of state laws goes into effect.
San Antonio police found a 41-year-old woman stabbed to death inside a home on Division Avenue. They believe James Mendoza, 52, who also lived in the home, killed her.
A San Antonio survey of the population experiencing homelessness reveals hundreds are women and children escaping domestic violence situations.
The San Antonio Police Department on Tuesday released the names of an officer who was wounded and a man who was killed in a shooting at a North Side apartment.
San Antonio police have not yet released the name of the officer who was wounded after responding to a domestic violence call. The man who they say shot her was then shot and killed by police. He still has not been identified.
It's a program that focuses on people involved with domestic violence, but it's not for the survivors. It's for the offenders. The Bexar County Reflejo Court, Court 13, is for first-time domestic violence offenders dealing with substance use. They are put in an intensive program that takes around a year to a year and a half.
The Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence (CCDV) was created to assess our abuse problem and find ways to fill the many gaps in prevention and service. They set a five year plan in 2019, and now they're listing accomplishments and assessing their work.
The San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign has helped thousands of dads deal with their own trauma, learn about healthy relationships, and become incredible parents. It's stopping the cycle of family and community violence.
A 19-year-old man was shot and killed by a San Antonio police officer during a domestic dispute incident at an apartment complex in the Medical Center area Tuesday, Police Chief William McManus said.
It is an incredibly rare story to hear and an incredibly difficult story to tell. Men who are survivors of domestic violence rarely open up, but a Dallas man wants others to know it's okay to ask for help.
San Antonio businesses have until Oct. 1 to display domestic violence resource signs as part of a new initiative aimed at addressing some of the highest rates of domestic violence in Texas.
Finding freedom from domestic violence seems impossible when many shelters are at capacity. That's why the organization The Family Place created an online portal to help shelters find available beds elsewhere.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales this week announced changes to how his office will prosecute misdemeanor family violence matters after internal records obtained by KSAT Investigates showed the dismissal rate for these type of cases had reached 80%.
The Crisis Center of Comal County is set to break ground on an $11 million facility that will continue to support their mission of helping families and victims of crisis and trauma.
Police say a man who was wounded in a domestic dispute brought the gun into the situation. For that reason, they say, he is considered a suspect.
A tentative trial date was set for Stephen Clare in the 437th District Court on Monday morning.
Mariah Gardner reacts after DA announces they will be seeking the death penalty against Stephen Clare.
Bryn Forbes, who spent parts of five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, has been arrested on a domestic violence charge for the second time in less than a year, booking records obtained Tuesday show.
Abuse survivors coming into police stations to give statements are being given a private, calming and comfortable space. It's helping them give better statements while allowing them a safe place to talk to victims advocates.
A San Antonio woman severely beaten by her boyfriend inside his East Side apartment said she has been let down by the criminal justice system after her attacker was given a plea deal that included no jail time.
Police said Daniel Efrain Aguilera,19, admitted to causing the injuries and is charged with four counts of injury to a child - serious bodily injury with intent, a first-degree felony.
A woman who San Antonio police say was stabbed multiple times by her husband has been identified, and the suspect has been charged.
Immigrants are a specific group of abuse survivors that are typically threatened with the same thing that keeps them from getting help — deportation. They are told they have nowhere else to go, but a local mom wants victims to know there is somewhere to go.
An Edgewood Independent School District Police Department officer was arrested earlier this month after a woman told sheriff’s deputies he injured her wrist and knee during a domestic violence incident, records show.
A San Antonio man with a history of violent offenses is accused of telling his ex-girlfriend he was taking her to see her dead parents and sent her photos of large holes in the ground he dug, a warrant obtained by KSAT Investigates shows.
KSAT noticed two different disciplinary actions taken against an SAPD officer and BCSO deputy for a domestic violence charge. We wanted to take a closer look at the SAPD and BCSO protocols.
The Domestic Violence Navigation Line, established in 2021, just received a new wave of funding to continue making on-the-spot assessments that result in immediate resources for victims.
In 2022, 216 Texans were killed by intimate partners. That's the second-highest number on record. Those numbers came out as a Supreme Court case began, debating whether perpetrators with civil protective orders should be able to have guns.
Mariah Gardner is now turning pain, anger, and the loss of her 11-month-old daughter into purpose by spreading awareness during domestic violence awareness month.
State Rep. Josey Garcia is a domestic violence survivor, and she's finally telling her story. She is one of the speakers for the upcoming Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence Symposium.
San Antonio city leaders are asking staff to research crisis nurseries, which are facilities where families can voluntarily drop off their children if they are undergoing stress and need protection.
A man fatally shot after attacking a BCSO deputy & his own family was previously convicted for killing his girlfriend. Her family tells KSAT that he should have never been free.
Many domestic violence victims who don't speak English avoid reaching out for help. However, a survivor in San Antonio wants others to know there are translation services that can help you and your family escape dangerous situations.
Someone stabbed a woman to death outside a North Side apartment complex early Monday. Police are still looking for the killer.
Bond hearing held for Stephen Michael Clare who is charged with capital murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Crisis Center of Comal County is looking to rebuild after a fire destroyed the shelter in April 2022, and leaders are also looking to expand services beyond New Braunfels.
Despite painful recovery and searing grief, Mariah Clare is telling her story to help victims of abuse. Experts explain that domestic violence follows a gradual progression.
A domestic abuser with a previous family violence conviction in Bexar County was given five years probation and no jail time as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Additional funding for domestic violence intervention and prevention programs is resulting in more reported cases. However, city officials say combating domestic violence is an all-hands effort.
A man was arrested after San Antonio police say he shot a woman and two children, ages 1 and 2, on the North Side on Monday evening.
A woman and two children, ages 1 and 2, are in surgery after a domestic violence shooting on the North Side, according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.
To get out of an abusive relationship, you first have to realize that you're in one, but it can be difficult to detect at first. That's why author Kelly Sayre became an expert and wrote a book called Sharp Women on situational awareness for women in dangerous relationships.
Three teenage girls, 13, 14, and 19 were killed before a 38-year-old man killed himself, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. The man was believed to be in a relationship with the mother of two of the teens. She was not home at the time.
The children and women’s shelter in New Braunfels is on the path to reconstruction after a devastating fire destroyed the building last year.