The San Antonio River Walk scene took a grim turn when a duck was savagely killed in broad daylight, inciting calls for justice. Park Police arrived on the horrific scene outside the Rainforest Café on June 17 to discover a 24-year-old man brutalizing a duck, leading to its deplorable death, as detailed by reports from KENS 5. Witnesses recount the duck’s violent end with its neck wrung and body slammed on concrete.
Henry Bassuk, president of the San Antonio Park Police Officers Association, expressed his dismay to KENS 5, "This duck had its neck wrung and was slammed on the concrete and stomped." The emotional toll of the event was marked by the testimony of tourists and locals. Alfonso, a local, lamented with a simple, "It is wrong," pointing to a shared feeling of distress and concern among the community members.
As the suspect was taken into custody under an emergency detention, the Park Police called upon the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office to pursue harsher penalties. However, the office's response was constrained by legal definitions and classifications, which might result in the incident being deemed a Class C misdemeanor. Such limitations in the law have stirred up an unsavory debate between law enforcement officials seeking more severe charges and legal statutes that fall short, fueling further frustration.
Amidst the controversy, Bassuk is pushing for a felony animal cruelty charge against the suspect. However, Pete P. Gallego, assistant criminal district attorney, explained that the Texas Penal Code's provisions regarding cruelty to livestock did not find applicability in this case. Gallego stated, "Our office must prosecute cases under the law as it exists, we have no authority to create new law to meet the circumstances of any particular case," in a statement obtained by The Express News. Concerns have surged among the community members as the River Walk is visited by multiple millions annually; the safe co-existence of humans and wildlife is imperative for the cherished San Antonio landmark.
The killing of the duck has resurfaced in past incidents, especially in the case of George, another duck familiar to River Walk visitors who met a similar fate in 2013. Despite the offered reward of $10,000 by Animal Care Services with The Human Society of the United States and Crime Stoppers for information on George's death, the mystery remains unsolved.
