SAN ANTONIO – A 4th Court of Appeals justice is calling out city and county leaders on social media about downtown violence.
Earlier this week, Justice Lori Massey Brissette posted on social media asking why city and county officials were staying silent about the issue.
The issue is personal for Massey Brissette because her son Justin was attacked, robbed and left for dead across the street from the Alamo in March 2023.
“He was downtown with his friends, and they all left, and he was alone when he was attacked,” Massey Brissette told KSAT 12.
It took more than a year to arrest the man accused of attacking her son.
Bryan Davis, a repeat offender, was arrested in May and has been indicted on the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
After Justin’s death, Massey Brissette said she was told not to say anything about it because it could affect tourism.
“It was hard because it felt like people were saying my son’s life was irrelevant,” Massey Brissette said. “I’ve spent over a year and a half trying to get city and county officials to care about not only my son, but the larger problem.”
In May, an 80-year-old woman in town to attend a graduation ceremony was killed after being caught in the middle of a shootout while leaving the Alamodome. Last month, a woman in town for a coaching conference was sitting at a downtown bar when she was shot and killed. Another attack outside the Grand Hyatt left a man dead.
“I think our leaders are thinking that if they come out and make a big deal about the issue, downtown violence, they will impact tourism negatively,” Massey Brissette said. “I’ve actually been told that. I don’t think think they don’t care, I think they are fearful.”
While Massey Brissette awaits justice to be served for her son, she will continue to speak out as a way to honor her son’s memory.
“I also see that this whole region would be impacted negatively if we lose downtown as a tourist destination, and that’s my focus, not just Justin’s death,” Massey Brissette said. “I think Justin would want it to be a bigger issue.”
KSAT 12 reached out to the county and the mayor’s office for responses.
Deputy Johnny Garcia, the public information officer with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office sent the following:
“The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office typically saturates the riverwalk as we have in summers past with our “Hats on the Riverwalk”, due to an increase in tourism the downtown area experiences during the summer months. Since June 24th, Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputies have provided presence along the riverwalk as a visual deterrent for crime, but also in the event that an incident arose, Deputies can respond and assist as needed.”