SAN ANTONIO – For the second time in four days, a body was discovered at a downtown San Antonio apartment complex for people with disabilities and senior citizens.
The two deaths – both of which are being investigated as homicides – have prompted the local public housing authority, Opportunity Home, to reevaluate its security.
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San Antonio police were called Friday afternoon to Victoria Plaza in the 400 block of Barrera, not far from Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Interstate 37, after getting a call for a dead person in their unit.
Police have not released any details regarding the discovery, but family members identified the victim as Donnell Sterling, 52, a father of four. Family members said Sterling was a cook at Good Time Charlie’s.
Family members said SAPD told them they are investigating the death as a homicide, possibly from blunt force trauma or a gunshot.
It’s not clear how long Sterling may have been dead, but residents said they noticed a bad smell coming from the area of his unit earlier this week.
Family members said they last heard from Sterling on Sept. 26. His mother said she had been trying to reach him since Saturday.
“We’re gonna find out who did it because that’s just not right. That’s just not fair. It’s not right. It’s just not right. My brother loved his family. He loved his kids. They don’t deserve (this),” said his sister, Bridgett Sterling.
Apartment residents said Sterling lived a few doors down from where another body was found earlier this week.
On Tuesday morning, SAPD responded to the apartment complex for a welfare check and found a dead man inside an apartment.
A preliminary report said there was “evidence of possible foul play.”
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Nick Martinez, 59.
Martinez’s death was ruled a homicide and his manner of death was sharp force injury.
Opportunity Home San Antonio, a local housing authority, released the following statement in regards to the two deaths:
The safety and wellbeing of all our residents, including those who reside at Victoria Plaza, is a top priority and resident concerns regarding security are of utmost importance. As this matter is still under active investigation, we cannot speak to specifics surrounding the case.
As an affordable housing organization, we rely on the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) to keep our city and communities safe. We assist in addressing resident concerns by requesting patrol officers for our communities, providing local SAFFE officer information and encouraging emergency calls to 911 when there is a threat, which should be all residents’ first form of communication during a security emergency.
Opportunity Home maintains enhanced electronic access control to help secure property entryways, parking lots, and property areas, including gates and fencing. Security cameras are installed at ingress/egress access points. Any security recordings that show evidence of a crime are shared with SAPD via the Southwest Texas Fusion Center. The organization conducts security risk assessments of the properties, including drone lighting assessments. Enhanced lighting has been installed at Victoria Plaza to increase security on the premises.
Security patrols are synchronized with the crime statistics and are conducted on a daily basis and evaluated by the Opportunity Home Security Department to address patterns of crime, as well as individuals associated with crime incidents. All calls for police service are reviewed daily. The Security Department coordinates all information with property management to implement mitigation strategies that address the calls for service (CFS) and crime incidents. We work with LISC San Antonio and LISC National on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) 2nd Generation – Social Cohesion, a principle of second-generation CPTED that involves community members working together to address local issues and the guiding principles of the Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative.
We are actively assessing security measures in place at Victoria Plaza and will continue to work with local authorities to best address safety and security concerns at the property.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.