VIOLENCE

A Texas lawmaker introduced an amendment that would have revived a proposal to raise the minimum age to buy certain semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 before it was ultimately withdrawn.

The rate of firearm-related deaths in Texas has reached a level not seen since the 1990s. Texas lawmakers have approved more than 100 bills that loosened gun restrictions since 2000.

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order setting the path to sanction individuals involved in the recent violence in Sudan that’s left hundreds dead and thrown the African nation into chaos.

In this Spriester Sessions episode, KSAT anchor Steve Spriester sat down with Oliver Rich Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division. Rich discusses his office’s challenges and his challenge for everyone in the San Antonio area to keep our community safer.

Spring break is around the corner, and Mexico is a desired vacation destination for many. However, recent events along the border involving violence against Americans have some reconsidering.

A transgender woman has been brutally assaulted near a light rail station in Minneapolis, suffering a rib fracture, collapsed lung and brain bleed.

The 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier’s murder prompted nationwide outrage and calls to reform the way the military addresses sexual violence within its ranks.

U.S. District Judge David Counts signed another opinion Thursday that cited a lack of historical record on laws relating to domestic violence to justify disarming abusers. Advocates fear the ruling will put more victims in harm’s way.

See how North Texas synagogues have adapted their security measures after a record-breaking year of recorded antisemitic acts nationwide in 2021 and an incident close to home early this year.

A national organization known for helping 85 communities across the U.S. develop partnerships with hospitals to reduce violence is helping Stand Up SA establish its own program.

San Antonio Police Department is working with criminologists with UTSA to create a researched-based violence prevention plan for the city.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says his department is feeling an increase in violence countywide, and the issue is connected to stolen guns. Meanwhile, at University Hospital, the number of patients with gun-related injuries since 2019 has nearly doubled.

A child’s father and step-mother have been arrested in connection with the death of their 4-year-old son in August 2021, according to police.

Federal prosecutors described Henry “Michael” Williams as being a felon who was not allowed to possess a firearm. He confirmed that he sold the weapon to the synagogue suspect in South Dallas, authorities said.

Attacks on houses of worship like the 2017 Sutherland Springs shooting have prompted many religious groups to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours to bolster security.

Many communities are looking inward for a solution to reduce gun violence. Representatives from one of the first places to use an out-of-the-box approach are advising communities to be deeply committed to doing the right thing if they want to see change.

A San Antonio family is frustrated by the silence of people they believe witnessed the murder of their loved one and are reluctant to come forward to speak with SAPD. SAPD reports 94 homicides between January to August 2021.

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Domestic violence is on the rise in Comal County and the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame, officials said. “The numbers are staggering,” said Comal County District Attorney Jennifer Tharp. Tharp said domestic violence arrests were at 66% last year compared to 53% in 2019. Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds agrees with Tharp about what’s triggering the spike in crimes. ”The stress brought on by the epidemic, itself, and the increased usage of drugs and alcohol brought forth a number of domestic violence cases last year”, Reynolds said.

SAN ANTONIO – February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and this year is the first that the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District has launched a full awareness campaign on social media using the hashtag #LoveNotPain. One dating partner picks a fight with or antagonizes the other dating partner. This may lead to one dating partner changing his or her behavior in order to avoid upsetting the other. One dating partner makes fun of the opinions and interests of the other partner or destroys something that belongs to the partner. Parents can visit the Love is Respect website or the Metro Health Teen Dating Violence website to get more information.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, in Washington. Federal prosecutors say a retired Air Force officer who was part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol was arrested Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Texas. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)DALLAS – A retired Air Force officer and a man from Tennessee were charged Sunday for being part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol, federal prosecutors said. During the deadly riot Wednesday, Brock was photographed on the Senate floor wearing a helmet and heavy vest and carrying zip-tie handcuff. Also Sunday, Eric Gavelek Munchel was was arrested in Tennessee in connection with the riot.

“This is the day that we will remember,” said Carey Latimore, Ph.D., an associate professor of history at Trinity University. “One is the Wilmington riots of 1898, and that’s a case in Wilmington, North Carolina, in which you had some rioters who disputed an election. And so, they decided to go and try to take over a town and sort of decertify, by their own self, a local election,” Latimore said. As Congress moves forward with the certification of the electoral votes, Latimore said there needs to be an emphasis on vetting information. But, we found ways of moving forward,” Latimore said.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg denounced the violent protesters in Washington, D.C., who were at the U.S. Capitol to try to obstruct the certification of the Electoral College votes of the November 2020 election in which President-elect Joe Biden won with 306 electoral votes. Nirenberg took to Twitter to express his disdain for the rioting at the nation’s Capitol. “It is an extraordinarily sad day when rioters storm our nation’s Capitol to violently disrupt Congress as it works to certify the electoral college vote. This is a naked act of insurrection and should be treated as such,” Nirenberg tweeted. It is an extraordinarily sad day when rioters storm our nation’s Capitol to violently disrupt Congress as it works to certify the electoral college vote.

That year there were about 750 nonfatal shootings in the city of more than 672,000. But with only a few days left in 2020, homicides already have topped 300, while non-fatal shootings are up more than 50% at more than 1,124 through the middle of December. “I think the pandemic — COVID — has had a significant emotional impact on people across the country,” Detroit Police Chief James Craig said. From this January to October, non-fatal shootings topped 200 in the city, which is home to about 200,000 people. Over the same period last year there were 131 non-fatal shootings.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Domestic violence is known to rise during the holidays and unfortunately, it’s even common for survivors that have made it out to go back to their abusers this time of year. How can you help family, friends, or even strangers from domestic violence? When uncontrollable stressors rise, so does domestic violence. If you or a loved one is in danger, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

SAN ANTONIO A man has been arrested after San Antonio police said he dragged, hit and choked a child because he soiled his diaper. Christian Smith, 28, has been charged with injury to a child, a third-degree felony, according to Bexar County Jail records. Police said the suspect grabbed the child by the neck and lifted him up to put him on a child-sized toilet seat. He allegedly lifted him again a second time, and the child turned red and began wheezing. Police said the child was placed on the toilet once again but fell off and hit his head.

First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said mourners outside a funeral home in the Gresham neighborhood were fired upon from a passing vehicle. The victims were taken by the Chicago Fire Department to nearby hospitals in serious condition, said spokesman Larry Langford. It wasnt immediately known if anyone other than attendees of the funeral were victims, nor if anyone in the SUV had been wounded. The shooting comes as the Department of Homeland Security is planning to deploy dozens of federal agents to Chicago to deal with an uptick in violent crime in the city. Oregons governor and Portlands mayor have expressed anger with the presence of the federal agents, saying that the citys protests had started to ease just as the federal agents started taking action.

SAN ANTONIO A woman was transported to a hospital after she was found stabbed inside an apartment Wednesday morning, according to San Antonio police. SAPD officers responded to the cutting just after 7:30 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 5200 block of Eisenhauer Road, near Midcrown Drive. The woman was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in critical condition. Police said a neighbor found her injured inside her apartment and called the police. It will be updated as more information becomes available.

At least a dozen people were killed in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend, police said. The violence was far worse than last year, when the long July Fourth weekend ended with six people dead and 66 wounded in gunfire. And the holiday weekend of violence follows Chicago's deadliest Memorial Day weekend since 2015. This year, the department counted July Fourth weekend shootings from 6 p.m. Thursday through the end of Sunday. The weekend violence highlighted what has been a particularly dangerous year for children in the city.

A 46-year-old man covered in blood stains was also at the scene and was arrested. But the outrage over the gruesome case escalated after local tabloids and digital news websites posted extremely graphic, leaked photographs of the victim's body. One of the papers, Pasala, showed the photos on its front page alongside the headline "It was Cupid's fault." López Obrador told a press conference on Thursday that the person responsible for leaking the images should be reprimanded. Marches from feminist groups and supporters are expected to take place in the city on Friday and Saturday.

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County deputies arrested a man Tuesday for allegedly beating a woman and hitting her with a gun, officials said. A victim told deputies 44-year-old Mario Perez Ramirez punched her in the face and ribs and also hit her with a pistol on Monday while they were on their way to a gas station in west Bexar County, officials said. The woman feared for her life and escaped from the suspect while at the gas station, officials said. The suspect drove off, but after a short chase, he stopped and ran inside a gas station on Highway 211 and Culebra Road, BCSO said. Local survivors can call Family Violence Prevention Services at (210) 733-8810 or the Bexar County Family Justice Center at (210) 631-0100.