Ex-military couple retired near San Antonio. Their son shot them, authorities say

BEXAR COUNTY — Every few months, residents of an eastern Bexar County subdivision opened their front doors to find the neighborhood newsletter.

It was silently left at doors and slid under doormats by one of the neighbors, Shane James Sr. He never knocked, neighbors said, to indicate he had dropped off the double-sided leaflet, which included information about the subdivision’s financial status and neighborhood announcements.

Several residents remembered Shane James Sr. and his wife, Phyllis James, as neighbors who kept to themselves but showed kindness in small, routine ways. Monica Miller, president of the homeowner association, said Shane James Sr. had volunteered to disseminate emergency information among the neighbors.

“I always thought that spoke a lot for his character, that he would care enough for other people that he would volunteer to do that kind of work for the community," Miller said. "He was always pleasant and ready to help, and I can't say anything but good about him.”

Bexar County law enforcement officers found the couple dead in their home Dec. 5 after Austin police alerted them that the suspect in a string of shootings in the Texas capital might have a connection to the San Antonio-area home.

Stunned neighbors were shocked by the series of homicides, which started when Shane James Jr. shot his parents in the head between 10 p.m. Dec. 4 and 9 a.m. Dec. 5, police say. He is then believed to have fled to Austin, where over the course of eight hours he shot and killed four others and injured three. Those who died were a young mother, a Guatemalan handyman, and a mother and her adult daughter.

The suspect faces four counts of capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and one mass shooting aggravated assault charge in Travis County. Bexar County has yet to file charges in the deaths of Shane James Sr. and Phyllis James, though District Attorney Joe Gonzales said at a news conference last week that, while it's too early to decide, the county would also consider the death penalty.

Despite Shane James Jr.'s domestic violence misdemeanors against his parents and sister, and regular emergency calls to the residence, there was little to indicate that mass killing would occur. By all accounts, the Jameses were a regular suburban, ex-military family.

Attempts by the American-Statesman to contact family members last week were unsuccessful.

Neighbors describe the quiet, friendly couple

Neighbors characterized Shane James Sr., 56, and Phyllis James, 55, as quiet and private but always friendly.

Public records indicate that the James family bought the Bexar County home in 2004. In 2005, Shane James Sr. retired from the U.S. Army, ending his two-decade career with the rank of sergeant first class.

He became a block captain for Port Royal Street, within the Estate/Mission Hills Homeowners Association. Miller, the association president for the past five years, said Shane James Sr. had held the role for at least the time she's been president.

Mario Aguirre, who has volunteered in the neighborhood, providing security, said he did not know the family well but remembered encountering Phyllis James on Halloween the past three years. Aguirre would watch the corner of Port Royal and Hidden Hills Road, making sure trick-or-treaters stayed safe when crossing the road, and recalled seeing her passing out candy and welcoming kids to stop at the James house.

Aguirre said the couple tried to help their son but that it never amounted to anything, citing the younger James' recent divorce as a breaking point in his struggle with mental health.

Michelle Coan, who has lived three doors down from the James family for 13 years, remembers seeing the father and son playing basketball in the driveway of their home when the younger James was in high school. Some years later, she would see the elder James in the front yard with Shane James Jr.'s son.

"We've basically seen Shane Jr. grow up. I used to see him warming up the car in the morning before taking off to school," she said.

Tyrone Powell has lived diagonally across from the Jameses for 13 years. He would chat with Shane James Sr. when the latter would mow his lawn or grab his mail.

"He was always going to the store once a week to get water for his family and everything. He was a good guy, a really good guy," Powell said, adding that the younger James "looked just like his daddy."

A.L. Domingues, 79, has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 10 years. In that time, the retired 38-year peace officer said, the worst crime he'd seen or experienced was someone knocking over his mailbox.

Domingues said he had scant interactions with the Jameses. The neighborhood, is made up mostly of retirees, most of whom keep to themselves, he said.

He worked as a San Antonio police officer for more than 30 years, aiding with a number of homicide investigations, he said. Remarking on the Dec. 5 killings, he drew on his experience scrutinizing the purported rationales, or lack thereof, of those who've unjustly taken lives.

"The 'why' is just not there," Domingues said. "I never thought that I knew why exactly they did it, and a lot of times they didn't seem to know either."

A decorated combat veteran

Shane James Sr. served in the U.S. Army for 21 years, initially as a recruiter in the Army Reserve and then in the regular Army until his retirement in September 2005, said Bryce S. Dubee, an Army spokesperson.

He was deployed to the Middle East during the Gulf War, between December 1990 and May 1991, when he was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Over the course of his military career, Shane James Sr. was awarded 20 accolades, including a Bronze Star Medal, the fourth-highest military decoration for valor, which recognizes single acts of merit and meritorious service in combat.

Aguirre, the neighborhood volunteer, said he rarely saw the Jameses' military-plated, silver Jeep Liberty move from its spot on the right side of the driveway.

As Aguirre spoke Thursday, the Jeep Liberty was still there.

Staff writer Chase Rogers and photojournalist Mikala Compton contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Pleasant' San Antonio-area couple shot by son, authorities say