Shawn Pivonka, left, faces a murder charge in the death of David Beck, right. (Screenshots from San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT-TV/YouTube)
A tenant and father who had fought and won his appeal of an eviction notice was shot and killed by the landlord’s boyfriend at a Texas apartment complex, police said.
Shawn Pivonka, 37, faces a murder charge in the death of David Beck, 41. Pivonka was escorted in handcuffs into the San Antonio Police Department headquarters on Tuesday as reporters asked him questions, and he said nothing.
Beck tried to give the appeal notice to his landlord on Dec. 14 in the 1000 block of West Huisache Avenue when an argument began.
In a news conference, Sgt. Washington Moscoso said officers were dispatched to the location for a shooting. Once there, they found the victim dead, and Pivonka was still at the location.
Officers interviewed the suspect and witness and quickly learned it was a landlord-tenant dispute.
The victim had appealed his eviction and won. That morning, he was about to serve his landlord with proof of the “overturning of the illegal eviction,” Moscoso said.
“The landlord obviously was upset about it,” the sergeant said. “The landlord’s boyfriend got into the mix. Things escalated from that point.”
The suspect made an aggressive movement toward the victim — swinging a fist toward the victim, stopping inches before his face.
“He stepped back and said, ‘Hey, take it easy. Don’t hit me,”” Moscoso said the victim told the suspect. “The victim was carrying a weapon. He brought out his weapon in a defensive manner. The suspect was also carrying a firearm. He pulled out his weapon in an offensive manner and shot the victim, killing the victim on the scene.”
Moscoso said police didn’t make an arrest initially as they investigated a possible case of self-defense. But after reviewing video showing the incident, police charged Pivonka on Dec. 20 with murder.
Edward Gonzalez, who lives across the street, told San Antonio’s CBS affiliate KENS that he heard multiple shots.
“I had just entered the restroom, and right when I sat down, I heard a gunshot and a lady scream, and then, like, maybe 10 seconds later, I heard five more shots,” Gonzalez said.
Olivia Beck, the victim’s wife, told KSAT that Beck was a bartender, she’s expecting their second child, and they have a 4-year-old daughter.
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