The Bexar County Democratic Party headquarters appears to have been shot at Monday night.
A large glass window pane at the headquarters is completely cracked with at least one impact point. The window of a panaderia next door is also heavily cracked from impact. While it’s clear vandalism took place, what’s unclear is who did it and why. The Democrats building on Fredericksburg road has been the subject of several threats in recent months.
Joey Palacios / Texas Public Radio
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Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Monica Alcantara
Though it’s not certain if the Democratic headquarters was deliberately targeted, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said the overnight shooting appeared to be targeted.
“While I am relieved that there were no casualties, I am deeply disturbed by this act of political violence,” Gonzales said. “We don’t yet know the names or the party affiliations of the individuals who fired weapons at the Democratic party headquarters, but we do know that these are not the actions of someone engaged in civil discourse; these are the actions of criminals with radical beliefs.”
Gonzales noted later at the possibility the firing could have been random but there were other businesses that didn’t suffer the same direct hits. The window of the panaderia is directly adjacent to the wall of the Democratic headquarters. A third business, the office of Viva Politics, which runs the campaign for Democratic Bexar County Judge nominee Peter Sakai, was also damaged.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar was on-site shortly before Gonzales and Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Monica Alcantara held a press conference at its Fredericksburg road headquarters. Salazar declined to comment about the investigation.
The shooting took place overnight. Alcantara said video of the incident has been turned over to law enforcement. The chairwoman noted that the headquarters has received several threats over the last few months, including threatening notes placed on the cars of volunteers.
“They’ve been followed home, some have been followed out of the headquarters, we’ve also received numerous Trump flags left in front of our doorstep,” she said. “To us, I can’t say for certain that this was targeted but I can tell you that through the last year … the incidents have increased in nature.”
One such note found in 2021 said: “You have Blood on your hands just like the criminal you helped steal whitehouse [sic]. Be very careful People hate you.” That note was turned over to San Antonio Police.
“This type of intimidation or tactics will not be tolerated, meaning that we are not going to allow ourselves to be intimidated and we will instead be motivated,” she said. “This is going to motivate us to register more voters.”