Neighbors are reeling from two related murder scenes involving a suspect charged so far with one murder.
SAN ANTONIO — Neighbors who witnessed the level of violence at two related murder scenes in 24 hours said they are still reeling, and the affidavit for arrest spelling out the crimes is hard to read.
The document details the evidence police say they have against 18-year-old Noah Rayden West, who detectives allege beat one man to death Sunday morning and then killed another man early Monday just 800 feet away from the first crime scene.
Lisa Perkins, who lives just a few doors down from one of the murder scenes, said, “These people are human beings, and nobody deserves to be beaten to death or harmed in that manner. And so whatever people might think of the homeless, it’s a very, very sad situation.”
Anthony Medrano lives and works in the area.
“It puts fear in the neighborhood because this is our neighborhood,” he said. “This didn’t happen at a business park. This happened in our backyard.”
The affidavit details how callers asked first responders to come to an alley in the 1700 block of West Gramercy because they said it was a possible murder scene in an area known as a gathering place for people who are homeless.
Arriving EMS personnel found 29-year-old Darreyl Fields on the ground with severe head trauma, and they pronounced him deceased.
Nearby, police found a piece of wood with fresh blood on it and when they started looking for other clues, they found surveillance video that showed the victim arriving in the area.
Investigators detailed how West went out of view of the camera, but it did record West arriving, wearing a distinctive red shirt with white lettering.
The document points out that West arrived carrying the piece of wood identified as the murder weapon and that as about 30 seconds elapsed, he could be seen raising the weapon “in a manner which is consistent with him about to hit something or someone.”
Detectives said West can be seen adding clothing he found in the area, leaving the murder weapon behind and leaving the area.
The video also shows witnesses arriving in the area moments later and leaving to call for help.
The investigator wrote that while developing clues, video also surfaced from the night before where West can be seen hitting cars with the same stick later used as the murder weapon.
Police were called to see to the matter and the affidavit says body worn camera video from those officers who talked to the man shows the murder weapon at his feet.
Monday morning, according to the affidavit, police were called again to another violent scene, just 800 feet away in the 2000 block of Fredericksburg Road.
Officers found a man on the steps of a vacant building, again with significant head trauma. He too was pronounced dead, and his name has not yet been released.
Police investigating the second beating death found West at the previous murder scene and when they noticed he had blood on his shoes they took him in for questioning.
Detectives wrote that as the interview progressed, they found the man had on several layers of clothing and when they were collecting his belongings as evidence, they found he was still wearing the same distinctive red shirt with white lettering.
The shirt also had blood evidence on it, according to the affidavit.
So far, West has only been charged with the Fields murder, but a statement released Tuesday morning reads:
“Police are not seeking any additional suspects in connection with the homicide that occurred Monday on Fredericksburg Road.
The suspect arrested for Sunday’s murder investigation remains in custody.
These two cases appear to be connected, and our homicide detectives worked swiftly and diligently to identify and arrest a suspect.”
Neighbor Medrano said even in the face of violence, he has faith in his neighbors.
“We stay connected and we share information with each other, especially if a window is broken or graffiti is done and many of the business have cameras here. They have lights on and we’ve learned that that helps to deter crime so staying connected that way, you know, we’ve built a nice little space, a safe space,” Medrano said.
Perkins said while she has historically tried to help people she finds on the street, she is now feeling like she needs to be much more careful.
“It’s concerning seeing someone homeless, but it’s even more concerning when they demonstrate erratic behavior so people might be more apt to contact law enforcement,” Perkins said. “If they see people behaving strangely, loitering in the vicinity, in the vicinity of their neighborhoods it might be better to call.”
Medrano said because they’ve built a strong foundation, they will move forward together.
“Because we look out for each other, the hope is that this place is going to continue to grow, continue to thrive, continue to be welcoming, continue to be compassionate, continue to be neighborly. We’re going continue that neighborhood mentality and move forward past this.”