San Antonio police have released body-worn camera footage that shows a chaotic burst of gunfire inside a Northwest Side storage unit, where officers say a 58-year-old man opened fire on them during a burglary call. The man was hit, taken to a hospital in stable condition, then booked on multiple felony charges. Police have publicly identified the officer who fired, and the Bexar County District Attorney's Office is set to conduct an independent review of the shooting.
What the video shows
The footage captures the October 17 encounter at the Public Storage facility off Fredericksburg Road near Wurzbach Road, according to News4Sanantonio. It begins as officers roll up the storage door, repeatedly shouting for the man inside to drop his weapon. Seconds later, gunshots crack through the small unit.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus is heard explaining that "He fired three times at the officers who approached him, and they returned fire." After the shooting stops, the video shows officers moving in, providing medical aid on the concrete floor before paramedics arrive and rush the man to the hospital.
Who was involved
Police identified the man as 58-year-old Richard Alan Asbell and said Officer Aaron Herrera was the one who returned fire. Investigators were told officers found Asbell inside a storage unit, and that gunfire was exchanged as they tried to approach him, as reported by KSAT.
Herrera is a probationary officer with less than one year on the force and has been placed on administrative leave while the case is reviewed. No other officers or bystanders were reported injured, and police say officers on scene rendered aid to Asbell before he was transported.
Charges and investigation
Court records show Asbell has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and is being held on an $800,000 bond, as per San Antonio Express-News. The department's Shooting Team is conducting a criminal investigation, while Internal Affairs is running a separate administrative probe. Both investigations will be turned over to the Bexar County District Attorney's Office for an independent review of the shooting, the paper reports.
Why the department released the footage
Under the City of San Antonio's transparency and open-data policies, SAPD posts portions of body-worn camera video from officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents, typically within 30 days of what happened, as noted by the City of San Antonio. In this case, the video went public nearly a month after the October 17 shooting, with the department saying the release is meant to give the community more context while the investigations play out.
The Bexar County District Attorney will independently review the case before any decision is made on charges tied to the shooting itself, a standard step in officer-involved incidents. Residents can watch the released footage and follow the status of the investigation as prosecutors and internal investigators complete their reviews.
