SAN ANTONIO – A private school and daycare on the Northwest Side has asked to join a lawsuit against the nearby San Antonio Target, Hunting and Fishing Club.
Acton Academy North San Antonio on Friday filed a plea to intervene in the lawsuit filed by SA Given to Fly, LP, which owns about 40 acres of largely undeveloped land next to the gun club on West Hausman Road, in between Babcock Road and JV Bacon Parkway.
Acton Academy sits on the other side of SA Given to Fly’s land, where its attorney says it has 44 students between 3 and 11 years old.
“Our only concern is to make sure the children are safe,” the attorney, Stephen Foster, said Tuesday.
The school did not introduce any specific, new claims, but it echoed the concerns from SA Given to Fly’s lawsuit about stray projectiles, a lack of safety measures, and a claim the club “operates more like a drinking fraternity.”
“If the claims of the Plaintiffs are even partially true or close to accurate, the school and all children, staff, teachers, parents, etc. are in immediate and serious danger from the drinking and shooting activities occurring at the location of the Defendant,” the school states in its lawsuit.
In an emailed statement through its attorney’s office, the club said it “upholds stringent safety protocols and maintains open communication with its neighbors to address any concerns in a constructive and collaborative manner.”
“It is noteworthy that Acton Academy, which has not previously contacted the San Antonio Target, Hunting, and Fishing Club or brought forward any concerns, has chosen to intervene in this litigation to opportunistically air unfounded allegations. This approach is both surprising and unproductive.”
Shooting activities are already prohibited at the gun club under a temporary restraining order issued by a judge on Dec. 17. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.
A partner with SA Given to Fly, which is connected to Mosaic Land Development, told KSAT the partnership had bought the land as an investment. There were plans that single-family homes could be developed on it.
The issues with the gun club, he said, had paused those plans.
SA Given to Fly is seeking more than $1 million, but Foster said Acton Academy doesn’t want money.
Though its original and first amended petitions state the school is entitled to damages, Foster shared a newer petition with KSAT on Tuesday stating it “is not requesting monetary damages at this time.”
The further amended petition, which was not yet reflected in online court records Tuesday afternoon, said the school maintained the right to request damages, though, if “substantial litigation or additional actions are required.”
READ MORE: San Antonio gun club accused of stray rounds, lack of safety measures in lawsuit
GREENWAY LAWSUIT
The club just escaped from a second lawsuit by a cyclist, Jose Ordonez, who says a stray shotgun pellet in August 2022 hit him in the helmet and knocked him from his bike on the Leon Creek Greenway, part of the city’s Greenway Trails System that borders the eastern edge of the gun club.
The club argued that Ordonez, who filed his lawsuit in August 2024, failed to serve SATHFC with an expert report as required, and a judge dismissed the lawsuit on Jan. 7.
However, Ordonez’s attorney, Desi Martinez, told KSAT that their case against the individual believed to be shooting at the time, David Hegedusich, could continue.
Hegedusich filed a brief response to the lawsuit Friday, generally denying the claims. His attorney, Dan Vana, did not immediately respond to KSAT’s call requesting comment.
Ordonez’s claim about a stray projectile hitting him also appeared in SA Given to Fly’s lawsuit.
WHAT TO KNOW
- San Antonio Target, Hunting and Fishing Club (SATHFC) was sued twice in 2024. The first lawsuit was by Jose Ordonez, a cyclist along the Leon Creek Greenway who says a shotgun pellet hit his helmet and knocked him from his bike. The second suit was from SA Given to Fly, LP, which owns roughly 40 acres of undeveloped land next to the club and says stray projectiles “regularly trespass” on its property.
- Ordonez’s lawsuit against SATHFC was dismissed on Jan. 7, but his attorney says they can continue the case against the individual shooter, David Hegedusich
- Acton Academy wants to join SA Given to Fly’s lawsuit, which claims the gun club does not operate safely. The school and daycare has 44 students between 3 and 11 years old and says stray rounds “could easily reach the school and kill any children, or adults present on the property.”
- SA Given to Fly is seeking more than $1 million through its lawsuit while Acton Academy’s lawyer says the school is only interested in its children’s safety.
- A temporary restraining order from Dec. 17 continues to prohibit any gunfire on the property.
- SATHFC says it has “stringent safety protocols” and calls Acton Academy’s attempt to join the lawsuit “both surprising and unproductive.”
- Next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.