People who live and work in the area south of San Antonio College where two SAPD officers were shot and killed on Thursday, while joining the entire city in mourning the death of Officer Moreno, are also praising the SAPD for focusing on crime in the area, which has in recent years become a center for the city's LGBTQ community, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Mike Rodriguez, who runs the LGBTQ friendly Pegasus Club, says police have done an amazing job, working in conjunction with businesses, to address the crime problem.
"The problem is, there are a lot of people who just walk up and down the street, asking people for money," he said. "A lot of vagrant-types."
Police Chief William McManus says it was those types of low level crimes, mainly car burglaries, in the area on Evergreen Street when Officer Miguel Moreno, and his partner, Officer Julio Cavazos, were shot by an ex con who may have been one of those vagrants, Andrew Bice. Bice shot himself after Cavazos shot him. Moreno died of his wounds on Friday, Cavazos has been upgrated from critical to fair condition at SAMMC.
Rodriguez says the 'targeted patrols' that McManus discussed, have been invaluable to the effort to improve the community.
"Its a lot better, because they have actually put a lot of people on the strip, chasing them away and dealing with them," he said.
The shooting in what many refer to as the 'gayborhood,' has also highlighted the strong level of respect and cooperation between the city's LGBT community and the San Antonio Police Department, a respect which is not seen in a lot of communities.
During Saturday night's Gay Pride Parade, resdients not only painted a 'Rainbow Crosswalk,' which has become a common sight nationwide to show support and acceptance of the LGBTQ community, but they also painted two 'blue line' crosswalks, in honor of Officer Moreno, and of Detective Ben Marconi, who was murdered last November.
The incident involving Bice, who has been described as an ex con from Louisiana with a lengthy criminal record, is also focusing new attention on the dangers posed by panhandlers and vagrants. The area just north of I-35, on the north edge of downtown, where the shooting took place, has become known as a haven for vagrants, and many homeless camps can be seen in the area between I-35 and San Antonio College.