Three employees were fatally shot Saturday at a landscape supply business in northeast San Antonio, officials said, and the suspect was later found dead.
The shooting occurred in the morning hours at a business on the northeast side of the city.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told reporters in a briefing Saturday morning that the three people killed, two men and a woman, were employees of the business. It is unclear if the suspect was an employee as well. No names have been released.
“We understand there may be others wounded, but we’re not sure right now,” McManus disclosed.
Investigators did not have a motive, but McManus said that the shooting was “not random” in nature, and indicated the suspect and victims knew each other.
The police chief initially told reporters that the suspect was at large and advised the public to stay away from the area.
A few hours later, he wrote in a social media post that the suspect had been found dead, describing it as “self-inflicted.” No further details were provided.
The workplace shooting adds to a troubling pattern of violence in American businesses, where employees face threats from colleagues, former workers or others with connections to the workplace. McManus’s statement that the shooting was “not random” and that the suspect and victims knew each other suggests a targeted attack rather than an indiscriminate act of violence.
The police chief’s disclosure that there may be additional wounded individuals raises concerns about other potential victims who may have been present during the shooting. The uncertainty about the total number of casualties suggests a chaotic scene that investigators were still working to fully understand hours after the initial attack.
The morning timing of the shooting indicates the violence likely occurred as employees were beginning their workday at the landscape supply business. Such businesses typically see activity early in the day as landscaping crews and contractors arrive to pick up supplies and materials.
The brief period when the suspect remained at large created concern for public safety in the northeast San Antonio area, prompting the police chief’s warning for people to avoid the vicinity. The subsequent discovery of the suspect’s body, apparently from a self-inflicted wound, ended the immediate threat but left investigators working to piece together what led to the deadly violence.
The lack of information about whether the suspect was an employee of the business leaves open questions about the nature of the relationship between the shooter and victims. Workplace violence often involves current or former employees, but can also involve domestic disputes or other personal conflicts that spill into a business setting.
San Antonio authorities have not released the identities of the three employees killed or the suspect, likely pending notification of family members. The victims’ families are now facing the sudden loss of loved ones who went to work Saturday morning and never returned home.
The landscape supply industry typically employs workers in various capacities, from customer service and sales to warehouse operations and delivery services. The business where the shooting occurred serves the San Antonio area’s landscaping and construction industries.
As investigators work to determine a motive, they will likely examine the suspect’s background, relationship to the victims, and any history of conflicts or disputes that may have preceded the violence. The police department’s initial response and subsequent manhunt for the suspect involved significant resources before the discovery of the body.
The incident marks another episode of workplace violence in Texas, a state that has experienced multiple mass shootings and workplace attacks in recent years. Each such incident raises renewed questions about workplace safety, threat assessment and prevention measures.
For the San Antonio community, particularly in the northeast area where the business is located, the shooting brings fear and grief to what would otherwise have been an ordinary Saturday morning. Nearby businesses and residents in the area faced hours of uncertainty while police searched for the suspect.
The investigation continues as authorities work to understand the full scope of what occurred, identify any additional victims, and determine what circumstances led to the deadly workplace attack.
