Neighbors of a man suspected of shooting dogs describe him as an animal lover

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Neighbors of a man accused of shooting two dogs last weekend are finding it hard to believe he did it.

San Antonio police said they have identified the 44-year-old, whose name has not yet been released, as a suspect in the case that has sparked a stir across the city.

Both shootings occurred in a North Side neighborhood just blocks from each other.

According to a police report, at least one of the incidents in the 1000 block of West Mariposa was caught on camera.

The report said the video shows a car slowing down in front of a house and then someone in the vehicle shooting and killing a dog on the sidewalk.

The other dog was killed a few blocks away, in the 3200 block of Capitol Avenue.

According to police, investigators were preparing to execute a search warrant for his second-floor apartment in the 8500 block of Wakefield Drive on Wednesday evening when the man shot himself in the head as police and a SWAT team arrived.

He was taken to hospital and was still in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, neighbors returned to the area in front of his apartment on Thursday morning to see the aftermath.

Miguel Cardona, who lives on the ground floor of the building, looked in amazement at a pile of wood and metal that had once been the man's balcony.

Cardona said he saw SWAT officers tear it down with equipment.

“Military clothing. Plainclothes cops and police jackets,” Cardona said, describing the scene, which he described as an “army of officers.”

During the operation, he and other people in the potential danger zone were forced to leave their homes, Cardona said.

“(The police) pushed us into the main office and then repeatedly told us to stay there. Don't come out,” Cardona said.

As he and the others stood around and talked on Thursday morning, they found it hard to believe the charges against their neighbor, the defendant.

Robert Longoria said the idea of ​​his neighbor killing dogs seemed out of character to him.

“He didn't seem like that kind of person to me. He was, he just kept quiet,” Longoria said.

Longoria and others said the man accused by police of killing the dogs not only helped them but also cared for his own pets, nearly a dozen cats.

“It doesn’t suit him at all,” Cardona agreed.

However, police said they had received evidence to identify the suspected shooter in the case.

According to a police report, investigators had him under surveillance for some time before executing the arrest warrant.