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‘A jewel’: Teacher killed by stray bullet while sitting on bar patio in San Antonio

No suspects in death of Ayden Rose Burt have yet been identified by police in Texas

Lilith Foster-Collins
Wednesday 24 July 2024 17:56 BST
Ayden Rose Burt was an English teacher and coach at Jasper High School
Ayden Rose Burt was an English teacher and coach at Jasper High School (Supplied)

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Louise Thomas

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A teacher visiting San Antonio for a conference was shot in the back by a stray bullet while sitting on a bar patio according to police.

Ayden Rose Burt, a 28-year-old teacher and coach at Jasper High School, Texas, died in hospital following the shooting just after midnight on Tuesday.

One former coworker called Burt “a jewel” to the school district, whilst a parent of a former student said she was “one of the good ones.”

Investigators said that Burt was hit by a bullet as she sat on the rooftop bar Smoke Skybar near Interstate 37.

“She was struck by a single bullet in the back while she was seated outside on the patio. This appears that it may have come from the highway. Someone randomly shooting as they drove by,” San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told News 4 San Antonio.

No suspects had been identified on Tuesday and the investigation is ongoing.

“It’s very, very difficult to put this together without a witness or without some kind of video,” explained Chief McManus.

Burt taught English, coached track and volleyball, and was visiting San Antonio for the Texas High School Coaches Association coaching convention.

She had been with the school for five years, and her dad and grandfather were both principals at the school.

The school district issued a statement, asking for "prayers of comfort for her family as well as her extended family, the students and staff of Jasper ISD.”

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