During the early 1980s, there was a rates in San Antonio, United States. In 1983, San Antonio ranked tenth in Texas for its homicide rate, recording 18.5 homicides per ,000 residents. The Texas Law Enforcement Management and Administration Statistics Program reported a threefold increase in the number of juvenile arrests for violent offenses in San Antonio between 1987 and 1994. Similarly, the number of young individuals apprehended for unlawfully possessing firearms also doubled during this timeframe.

In 1993, San Antonio earned the nickname “Drive-By City” due to a surge in drive-by shootings, with over 1,200 incidents recorded by the San Antonio Police Department, averaging approximately 3.5 per day. This marked a significant increase compared to other cities in Texas. The violence primarily occurred on the east and west sides of the city, in areas with high poverty rates. Gang-related violence resulted in the deaths of both gang members and innocent bystanders. Housing projects like the Alazán-Apache Courts served as hotspots for various gangs, sometimes leading to confrontations between rival groups. By the end of 1993, the city experienced a peak in homicides with 230 killings, the highest number since 1991, when 211 people were killed.

In 2016, San Antonio witnessed a disturbing surge in murder cases, with 151 recorded homicides, the highest number in two decades. A majority of the victims were young men of color, aged between 18 and 29, with Hispanic and African American individuals making up the majority. A study revealed that drug-related and domestic incidents contributed to 40% of the killings. In 2020, San Antonio ranked fourth among U.S. cities with the largest increase in homicides. The San Antonio Police Department reported 71 homicides between January and June of that year, a stark contrast to the 53 reported in 2019. While the total number of homicides in 2019 was 105, The Wall Street Journal noted that homicide rates in the city were relatively low compared to previous decades.