SAN ANTONIO – A local softball team continued their practice at Woodlawn Lake Park, even as a nearby crime scene unfolded.
According to San Antonio police, a 30-year-old man drove through Woodlawn Lake Park before crashing his vehicle into the lake.
SAPD said a San Antonio Park Police officer approached the driver to check on him. That’s when the man got out of his vehicle with a knife, moving toward the officer in an “aggressive manner.”
“She gave multiple commands to put the knife down and continued to back up to create some distance,” an SAPD spokesperson said. “She got all the way up to the walking track before she fired two rounds because the suspect failed to comply.”
SAPD said the park police officer shot the man in his torso and that he was awake and talking when they transported him to the hospital. He was in “critical but stable condition” at that time.
“A lot of police officers, we saw the ambulance and the firefighters and paramedics go there,” said a woman named Neri.
Neri and her friends said they saw dozens of first responders on a day they never expected to.
Roughly a football field away from the crime scene, a group of medical professionals carried on with their day prepping for a softball game.
“We just started a softball team,” Jenny Ramirez said. “So, this is what we’re doing. Today’s our first day of practice.”
“The sun came out, and it’s been nice,” Neri said. “We’ve had the music going, and we’ve been cheering each other on.”
They expressed gratitude for the quick response from SAPD, which allowed them to continue their activities.
“I feel like if they would have made it seem like it was a dangerous situation, then we would have paused or quit for the day,” Neri said. “But it seemed like they had a lot of stuff under control.”
The team and other park-goers said they’re thankful no one else was injured, but they’re shocked this happened at Woodlawn Lake Park.
“Prayers to the family,” Ramirez said. “We come, and it’s usually safe out here … but today, it kind of freaked us out.”
The scene was cleared a few hours after the incident, and the park is now completely open to visitors.
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