Early in the morning on Sunday, Feb. 18, multiple residents of The Villas at Babcock reported seeing a man armed with a rifle knocking on residents’ doors and counting down. This, understandably, caused residents to be concerned for their safety and demand action from apartment management.
This incident was initially reported in the complex’s resident GroupMe, where multiple pictures of a man armed with a rifle were shared, taken through peepholes and downstairs windows.
“Apparently, there’s dudes walking around with a rifle knocking on people’s doors late at night,” one resident stated.
“There were some guys outside my building knocking on my door last night and counting down, but we were too scared to check,” another resident shared.
The man was later identified as a guest at one of the units in the complex. However, this follows two other incidents where residents allegedly reported seeing the owner of the gun brandishing it outside of his unit and firing it in the air multiple times.
“They were just shooting it in the air like it was nothing,” Joan, a resident of the complex stated. “I was laying in my bed. It was like 3 a.m. All of a sudden, you hear like six gunshots ring out.”
Despite multiple alleged instances of gunshots being reported and the guest violating the complex’s lease agreement, little action was initially taken to remedy the situation. The owner of the gun and one of his roommates were allegedly evicted from the complex.
However, this incident shone light on one of the most glaring issues plaguing student housing complexes around UTSA — resident safety. Incidents like these are not uncommon, with another shooting occurring at The Reserve apartment complex in October.
Students deserve to feel safe living in designated student housing complexes. These complexes, UTSAPD and SAPD must take the appropriate actions, to ensure the safety of tenants. If you or someone you know has experienced issues living in a student housing complex, fill out this form.
