LEON VALLEY, Texas – A shooting at the HEB off Loop 410 and Bandera on Tuesday sparked panic for many, but a school next door had no idea there was an armed suspect nearby.
“When I saw them coming up to the car, I was flooded with emotions of (whether) my children are safe,” said a parent whose child attends the School of Science and Technology who asked to remain anonymous
The mom we spoke to has kids who attend the School of Science and Technology. She tells us that during school pickup, she realized the staff didn’t know about the police presence in the area.
“They had no idea, they were not aware of what happened, it wasn’t until I let them know,” said the parent, adding, “It was very concerning, at that point, I just wanted to be an advocate for the other parents because of what I had witnessed,”
The mom says she was working out at the LA Fitness next to the HEB during the altercation and saw the suspect walk towards her children’s school before being arrested.
“We were not made aware of the incident that was happening behind our campus,” said Anna Ruiz, the communications coordinator for the School of Science and Technology.
Anna Ruiz says the Leon Valley Police Department never called them to notify them of the situation.
“We could have issued either a hard lockdown procedure or a soft depending on the circumstances,” Ruiz said.
Leon Valley Police Chief David Gonzalez declined an interview. However, he said that part of the issue is that Pat M Neff Middle School has a police department through NISD, where students can listen to what is happening on police radios.
The School of Science and Technology does not have the same equipment.
“I was let down,” the mother said. “I’m trusting the police department, our public servants, to prioritize the safety of children and the community safety and I feel like that was not a priority for them.”
Gonzalez told us no one was hurt, and the suspect is in custody, which he considers a win.
He added that he is in communication with the charter school representatives, but when asked about the plan moving forward, he said he didn’t want to disclose that publicly.
“Our central office team is going to be meeting with the Leon Valley Police Department to review their communication protocols to make sure we are included there and that they have the proper contact information,” Ruiz said.
KSAT also checked with Neff Middle School.
An NISD official said they did not go into a lockdown. However, they said its police officers were sent to the area once they found what was happening. The suspect was in custody by the time they arrived, the official said.
