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A new report from the city-county Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence (CCDV) documents 28 family violence-related deaths in Bexar County in 2025. The commission presented its findings to county commissioners on Tuesday.
Of the 28 people killed, 16 died in incidents involving intimate partner violence, including three bystanders. The other 13 victims in those incidents were seven women and six men. More than half of the family violence-related deaths involved firearms.
Commission co-chair Judge Monique Diaz said she believes public awareness and education campaigns have helped reduce domestic violence. These efforts include access to help by calling 2-1-1 or scanning QR codes posted in public bathrooms.
"We tracked the number of folks that were accessing the QR codes from the City of San Antonio signage that's required per their ordinance now in bathrooms. 13,500 used that QR code alone to ask for help," Diaz said.
Prevention efforts include intervention programs for people who commit domestic violence, parenting classes and education about healthy relationships. The report found that about 42% of children assessed for mental health needs in connection with local cases had witnessed domestic violence.
The San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff's Office handled a combined 58,000 domestic violence-related calls in 2025. More than 1,600 people received emergency shelter or temporary lodging.
The report documented 32 family violence-related deaths in 2024. The commission said Bexar County's intimate partner homicide rate has moved closer to the statewide average, though the county remains among those with the highest number of such deaths in Texas.
County Judge Peter Sakai, a former juvenile court judge who helped establish the commission, said more work is needed to support victims.
"There's still a lot of work that we can do, but it doesn't necessarily mean more staff or more programs. It just means we need to do a better job in listening to those victims," he said.