SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio family says a night out on Austin’s Sixth Street quickly turned into a terrifying fight for survival.
Three members of the same family were inside Buford’s when gunfire erupted outside, killing three people and injuring 14 others. The family includes two students at St. Edward’s University and their granddaughter, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin.
Investigative reporter Yami Virgin spoke with their father and grandfather, Alexander, who asked that his family remain anonymous.
For a San Antonio family, the shooting on Sixth Street hit too close to home. They have a daughter and a son who go to school at St. Edward’s and a granddaughter at UT Austin. All of them were inside Buford’s and today are grateful to Austin police and fire for saving their lives.
Alexander says he woke up early Sunday morning to the sound of gunfire circulating online. Shortly after, he received a call from his daughter in Austin telling him she had just survived the shooting.
According to Alexander, his children and granddaughter heard the first round of gunfire and immediately tried to get to safety.
“They heard the shots, the first barrage of shots, and they went to the back of the club, towards the back of the club, where a bouncer helped them get down, and then they went upstairs to hide in the bathroom,” Alexander said.
All three students were able to escape the bar without injuries. Alexander says that was thanks in part to a bouncer who guided them to safety and to the quick response from Austin police officers.
“Man, I want to thank them so much for saving our kids’ lives,” he said.
When the students eventually stepped back outside, they saw the aftermath of the shooting.
“When they walked out, she said she saw people lying on the floor and people who were injured, wounded from the barrage of the first initial shots,” Alexander said.
As the family ran away from the gunfire, police officers were already rushing toward the scene and directing people away from danger.
For Alexander’s daughter, a freshman at St. Edward’s, the experience is still difficult to talk about.
“I just want to thank the police officers for saving us,” she said through tears.
She also expressed gratitude to others who helped protect them.
“For keeping us safe and protecting us and all the fire people, the EMS people,” she said.
Alexander says his family is still processing the trauma of how close they came to the shooter.
“My heart goes out to all the victims and the families and people who were injured,” he said. “It’s just been a traumatic experience.”
The family says they remain grateful to the police officers, firefighters, EMS crews, and bar staff who helped ensure their children made it home safely to San Antonio.