Three San Antonio police officers have been placed on administrative leave following the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old suspect and the critical wounding of another man, the San Antonio Police Department confirmed yesterday. The incident, which unfolded approximately at 5:45 p.m. Saturday on the 700 block of Broadway Street near Brooklyn Avenue, involved officers from the department's Rope Unit and Crisis Response Team.
KSAT reported the suspect, wanted on several felony warrants including firearm possession and aggravated promotion of prostitution, was parked in a lot when approached by detectives. The situation escalated rapidly when the suspect allegedly told officers, "I’m going to kill you. I have a gun," and began to rummage through a backpack. It is at this moment where the officers fired upon the man, with an as yet unclear number of bullets striking both the intended suspect and another man seated in the rear of the suspect's vehicle.
Police Chief William McManus described the tense moments leading up to the shooting, detailing that the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The second man, who was not regarded as a suspect by the police, was rushed to hospital in critical condition. In an additional statement obtained by Brousse Foix, it was stated that each of the three officers had served a minimum of seven years with the department, with two officers boasting seven years of service, and the third officer, fifteen years.
In the wake of the shooting, the SAPD has initiated internal investigations, carried out separately by both their Shooting Team and Internal Affairs Unit. These findings will eventually be presented to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for an independent review. The officers involved have not been publicly identified, but they have been assigned to administrative duty in the interim as standard protocol following such events dictates, officials indicated.
