SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police are investigating a shooting in Alamo Plaza that happened just after noon on Saturday.
Police said a driver shot a panhandler after the man kicked his car.
The driver, in his 60s, told police he was stopped at a light when a man approached his car and tried to panhandle for money. The driver told police he ignored the man when he first banged on his window, but after the man kicked his car, the driver pulled out his gun, rolled down the window and fired three shots at the man’s chest, police said.
The panhandler, believed to be in his early 30s, was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in critical condition.
SAPD homicide detectives are investigating the shooting. It’s unclear what charges will be filed against the driver.
Officers said there were a few witnesses to the shooting, but said that Alamo Plaza was not nearly as crowded as it normally would have been on a Saturday afternoon, given the emergency declarations issued by the city, county and state this week. Bars were ordered to close and restaurants are only allowed to operate drive-thru, delivery and take-out orders for curbside pickup due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The Alamo has been closed to the public since Monday evening.