Dating app suspected to have led to fatal shooting
The sister of a man found fatally shot Tuesday outside a North Side Apartment complex said investigators suggested to the family that he may have been targeted via a dating app.
After 31-year-old Zachary Leard was found shot three times in the back in the 6900 block of North Vandiver Road, San Antonio detectives at the scene told the family that he may have been tricked online into meeting his assailant, sister Joslin Leard told the San Antonio Express-news. Police asked the family about Leard’s dating history and whether he had ever met anyone on dating apps, she said.
Police have been searching for a suspect since Tuesday afternoon, when Leard’s body was discovered. His blue Nissan Rogue and other belongings were stolen.
Joslin Leard said her family learned about her brother’s death after he didn’t show up for a scheduled shift at Chick-fil-a that evening.
“As soon as his manager called us and we saw the news story about a man in his 30s who had been shot, we just knew,” she said.
She said her brother was always meeting new people and that the outgoing and spirited man had friends from all around the country whom he had met through his travels.
She said one of her brother’s friends recalled Leard using dating apps sometimes, though her brother never spoke about doing so with her.
She said he was known as the kind of guy who would drop everything to help a friend and was a proud member of the LGBTQ community.
“It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from, Zachary would love you unconditionally,” she said. “Everyone loved him, and so we are going to do what we can to find justice for him.”
The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio, a local LGBTQIA advocacy group, posted a message of support for Leard’s family and friends on social media, echoing his sister’s assertion that he was a proud member of the community and noting that he worked at the Pegasus Nightclub.
The group said it is “deeply troubled that Mr.
Leard lost his life during broad daylight. Gun violence has taken an enormous toll on the LGBTQIA community.” In its post, the group said it had reached out to San Antonio Police Chief William Mcmanus and other members of local law enforcement regarding the case, and that it intends to remain engaged “until justice is served.”
Leard’s sister said he had been texting about an hour and a half before the shooting and that there was no indication anything was wrong.
“It was just normal brother-sister banter. He seemed like his regular crazy self,” she said.
Leard’s death isn’t the first time the family has faced tragedy. An older brother died in 2017, she said, at which time Leard stepped up as the family’s rock.
“My brother was always the one to put on the brave face, and when our brother died, he took over and made it all OK, so I knew he would have wanted me to take on his role now.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7635.