A 15-year-old boy was killed in a shooting during an apparent drug deal, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office officials said.

When deputies arrived just before midnight at a home in the 7000 block of Fossil Banks in far West Bexar County, they found the victim had been shot.

Despite life-saving measures by first responders, the juvenile was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information or surveillance footage pertaining to the crime is asked to contact BCSO officials by email at BCSOTIPS@bexar.org or at 210-335-6000. Callers can remain anonymous.

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It has been a while since an in-person jury trial has taken place and that is finally changing this week.

The surge in COVID cases from the Omicron variant caused the courts to close to trials again back in December.

On Monday morning, courts reopened to in-person jury trials. If all goes as planned, this spring and the entire year is shaping up to be busy for the criminal justice system.

As of right now, there is no contingency plan if another surge in cases does happen. It’s a topic we’ve discussed with county officials over the past couple of months. There were even ideas being thrown around to use a bigger facility — like the Freeman Coliseum — to handle jury selection, as an option if cases were to spike again.

But for now, nothing has been approved or presented to the Commissioner’s Court.

As of last November, there was about a 30,000 case backlog among all county and district courts. Here’s hoping a contingency plan won’t be needed.

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The Docket

Here’s a look at trials and court proceedings we can expect in the coming weeks. These dates are subject to change and could be rescheduled.

March 14 – Jury selection is expected to begin for the trial of D’Lanny Chairez. Chairez is charged with tampering with evidence in the death of her son James Chairez. The trial could begin as early as Tuesday, March 15.

March 14 – A hearing is set for Jessica Briones, who is charged with the murder of her child. This hearing is to possibly set a new trial date as it has been rescheduled several times due to the pandemic.

March 21 – A trial could begin in the capital murder trial of Larry Leroy Moore. Moore is accused of the 1987 murder of a San Antonio woman. More than 30 years after the crime was committed he was charged in this cold case.

Get to know Judge Frank Castro

A native of Corpus Christi, 399th Criminal District Court Judge Frank Castro grew up visiting San Antonio regularly. His grandparents lived in the Alamo City, for one.

He soon made San Antonio his home after going to law school at St. Mary’s University.

Before being elected as a judge in 2016, Castro was a prosecutor, a personal injury and criminal defense attorney.

Since becoming judge, Castro has presided on some high-profile cases, including that of the Genene Jones, known as the “Killer Nurse.”

“It was difficult to see the emotional pain and suffering the family members have experienced and are still experiencing,” Castro told KSAT.

He will soon preside in another high-profile trial: Andre McDonald, who is accused and charged in the murder of his wife Andreen McDonald.

This year, Castro added a new role as he was selected to be a co-judge of the Felony Veterans Court, which is designed to address the needs of veterans who are in the criminal justice system.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to help veterans in this treatment court,” Castro said.

When he’s not in the courtroom, Castro enjoys being a volunteer coach for his kids’ soccer teams.

“In addition, I love spending time with family and friends at our place in Horseshoe Bay (Lake LBJ), with the majority of that time spent on the jet ski and boat,” Castro said.

And if you ever see him eating a taco it’s probably a barbacoa taco, he said, but no word if he’s having a Big Red on the side.

Legal Glossary

There are often terms used in a courtroom that sound more like legal jargon than natural language. Even after years of covering court proceedings, I sometimes have to look up words to refresh my memory or make sure I fully understand them. In each newsletter, I include a different word or phrase so we can build our knowledge and understanding of the courtroom together.

Motion for continuance: If you ever hear this in a courtroom or in our court coverage it is a lawyer asking a judge to change the date of a court hearing or trial to a later date. The judge could either grant this or deny it and not make a change.

Closing Argument

The March primary election is over and we now know who will be facing each other in the upcoming May runoffs and general election in Nov. There are more than 20 judicial races to be decided.

In upcoming newsletters, we will be taking a closer look at some of these races and hopefully be hearing from the candidates. If there are any questions you want to ask any of the judicial candidates, please send me an email (ehernandez@ksat.com).

Thanks for reading,

Erica Hernandez

It doesn’t take too much number crunching to figure out that San Antonio is home to two of the Lone Star State’s most admired employers. And now, they are both getting a pat on the back for a job well done. According to Forbes magazine, which just released its lists of the country’s best large employers and best startup employers, San Antonio boasts two of the best in the U.S. New rankings from Forbes put…

If you or your children are on Spring Break right now, it is a perfect time to help those in the community who need it most.

KSAT Community is partnering with the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County for their 8th annual Shoebox Project.

“We definitely need the community’s help by decorating a shoe box, filling it with those everyday toiletry items that we list on our flier. And then you can drop it off at the United Way or the San Antonio Food Bank,” Brandyn Moore-Rodriguez with the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County said.

There are requests for more than 10,000 shoeboxes that will go to help local organizations, and they are focused on a wide variety of groups, from children to veterans.

“Over the years, we’ve seen more items on toothbrush, toothpaste, but we need those other things — so that’s lotions, shampoo, conditioner, feminine hygiene products, Band-Aids, those are the things that we don’t get a lot of,” Moore-Rodriguez said.

Over the last two years, the San Antonio area has seen a lot of people deal with adversity. There’s also been a rise in homelessness, so the project is meant to help those who are struggling financially.

“It’s going to help them, because again, you and I, we can literally go to Walmart, Walgreens and get these items. But there’s people in our community that have to make that choice. You know, do I make sure that my child has socks on their feet? Or do I make sure that they may have shampoo or toiletry items? Again, it’s a very simple project, a simple gift that makes a difference across the community,” Moore-Rodriguez said.

This year’s collection will take place until April 29. In the past, the Shoebox Project has reached about 7,000 donations, but this year, there are more requests – especially when it comes to local schools.

“Unfortunately, our caseworkers there, they’re seeing students daily and they notice the needs of these students. And so the students are able to go to this social worker in the campuses and let them know, ‘Hey, I need some deodorant’ and it’s something that’s very, very simple. It’s a lot of people in our community, but it does make a difference across our community as well,” he said.

If you have any questions about the program and how to take part, you can go to the website by clicking here.

Five people have been permanently displaced by a fire that destroyed their East Side home.

San Antonio firefighters say what is left of the home, located in the 600 block of Hammond Avenue, will have to be demolished.

Fire erupted inside that two-story structure after 1:30 a.m. Monday, sending the family running outdoors.

RELATED: Fire guts East Side home, threatens second house

Fire crews, meanwhile, moved into the area but found even they could not go inside it.

The intense flames and heat kept them at bay, doing their best to fight the fire from outside.

“That fire was just one of those that was defeating us today,” said Capt. Gabriel Ortega with SAFD.

Ortega says a big challenge for crews came from the construction of the home, itself.

The frame was made out of wood, which acted as kindling for the fire.

“It’s very sturdily built,” he said. “It was built and framed with 2 by 12s, so it held onto that fire for much longer.”

Despite their efforts, that home was gutted by the fire.

For a while, firefighters were worried they might see two homes go up in flames.

The flames also threatened the home next door.

“We were able to keep if off that exposed house,” Ortega said. “If you look at that house (next door), you can see the bubbling on the walls where it was going to catch fire.”

The fire caused some minor damage to the outside of the neighbor’s home.

It took crews more than two hours to knock down the fire.

They remained on scene throughout the morning, making sure it didn’t flare up again.

As of late Monday morning, fire investigators still had not determined what caused the fire.

There’s nothing like cozying in at a comfy bed-and-breakfast spot where you can curl up with a novel or savor what the host is whipping up for the morning meal. The Eat This, Not That! website proclaims that the top spot in Texas for relishing that type of atmosphere sits in the heart of the Hill Country. In a rundown of the best B&B in each state, the website crowns Magnolia House Bed and Breakfast…

It’s a transition KFW’s leadership says was needed after massive company growth.

“I tell people that if students don’t get a job, I didn’t do my job,” said Babson College President Stephen Spinelli.

A Mexican restaurant on the city’s West Side was ordered to be reinspected last month after health officials noted several plumbing issues.

El Maguey Mexican Grill, located in the 6700 block of Hwy. 90 West, received a score of 77 after plumbing from a hand sink was seen being drained directly onto the ground outside.

A three-compartment sink inside the establishment could not reach the proper heated temperature and it had a leak in its back room, health records show.

The restaurant was also written up for having holes above a sink in need of repair.

To see more health inspection scores and to go Behind the Kitchen Door with Dillon Collier, click HERE for our special section.

Score Guide:

100-90 = A (Very Good to Acceptable)89-80 = B (Acceptable to Marginal)79 or lower = C (Marginal to Poor)

Metro Health indicates that scores of 69 or lower are failing scores

Other scores this week:

El Rodeo Mexican Grill, 2525 SW Loop 410, 100JC Food Mart, 2023 Goliad Rd., 99Asia Chinese Restaurant, 8035 Culebra Rd., 98Kumori Sushi Restaurant, 700 East Sonterra, 96Mama Gumbo, 2367 Austin Hwy., 96Milano on Wurzbach, 11802 Wurzbach Rd., 96WiseGuys – A Chicago Eatery, 441 W. Nakoma Dr., 96Starbucks, 3100 Broadway, 96Cafe Rosa, 1304 Gardina St., 93New Somerset Food Mart, 1403 Somerset Rd., 92Triple S Express, 6221 Culebra Rd., 92Sake Cafe Sushi Bar & Grill, 19179 Blanco Rd., 91Chas Super Market, 1431 N. Pine St., 90Oasis Cafe, 210 McCullough Ave., 89Chili’s Grill & Bar, 11727 Bandera Rd., 88Great Food Mart, 9911 Fredericksburg Rd., 87El Taco Feliz, 420 Bandera Rd., 86Blue Moon Mexican Restaurant, 3228 S. Flores St., 85Taqueria Hacienda, 4535 Rigsby, 84El Maguey Mexican Grill, 6739 Hwy. 90 West, 77

For food establishment complaints in the city of San Antonio, send an email to Metro Health or call 210-207-8853.

Check out more restaurant scores by clicking here.

A missing woman from Hondo was identified by police as a person hit and killed by a vehicle in San Antonio last week, authorities said.

Chaundra Walker was originally reported missing by her family after last making contact with a friend on Monday, March 7 when her vehicle ran out of gas at an unknown location in San Antonio.

Hondo police said they were notified by the San Antonio Police Department of Walker’s death after responding to a crash involving a pedestrian.

The Facebook post said her last contact told police that while they were on the phone, a man approached her and then the phone connection was lost.

“We offer our most sincere condolences to Ms. Walker’s family and all of those who knew her. May they find peace in the days coming,” Hondo police said.