Newborn baby was in house when man shot his wife, investigators say

SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Sheriff’s Office investigators say a man shot his wife Tuesday morning while their six-month-old son was in the house.

They say the baby was sleeping in another room of the apartment and was unharmed.

According to Deputy Johnny Garcia, a sheriff’s spokesman, the man himself called 911 around 8 a.m. from a convenience store in the 5900 block of Woodlake Parkway. He told the emergency dispatcher he shot his wife in self-defense.

“The man walked into the Valero, put the gun on the counter and made the call,” Garcia said.

Gina Ramos worked at the taco shop in that store. She said she became aware of him after he gave the gun to a clerk.

“He put the gun over there,” she said, pointing to the cash register. “I asked (the clerk) what happened and he said he got the gun.”

Ramos says she was startled by the man pacing the store.

She later noticed officers arriving and arresting him.

Meanwhile, other officers had gone to the couple’s home in Woodlake Villas, where they found the woman and baby in an apartment.

“They found the door ajar and (the woman) lying face down, injured and shot multiple times,” Garcia said.

The woman was taken to hospital where she died.

Garcia said the baby was handed over to relatives.

Homicide investigators searched the apartment for several hours in search of evidence.

It was initially unclear whether charges would be brought against the man.

The shooting, Garcia said, bears some similarities to another shooting that occurred about a month ago.

In this May 29 case, another man told officers he accidentally shot his wife.

After searching their home at Gunsight Pass, investigators filed a murder charge against the husband.

The investigation into Tuesday’s shooting is still ongoing.

“We will definitely find out what happened in the moments leading up to this shooting,” Garcia said.

Although Garcia said there has been no noticeable increase in the number of fatal domestic violence cases, the problem remains.

“We constantly urge victims of domestic violence to get out of this situation,” he said.

Garcia mentioned that deputies had been called to the home several times in the past, but he could not immediately say what the reason for those calls was.

KSAT has a long list of resources on domestic violence on this website.