A man involved in a fatal shootout with Bexar County deputies, which resulted in two officers being injured, had been deported last year, Sheriff Javier Salazar disclosed. KSAT reports that the suspect, identified as Jose Arley Fernandez Solano, returned to the U.S. after deportation, continuing a pattern of domestic violence and felony activity.
The incident unfolded on Sunday when deputies responded to a domestic violence call in the 700 block of Tecumseh Drive. In an ensuing confrontation, according to Sheriff Salazar, Solano fired at Deputies Nathan Sigala and Nicholas Zinni, injuring both. The San Antonio Express-News revealed that the single bullet fired from a stolen gun struck Sigala's hand and then Zinni's hip. The deputies, returning fire, fatally shot Solano.
Solano had been deported on December 2, 2024, only to clandestinely return to the United States by February. Salazar said that the Bexar County Sheriff's Office had been to the home on Tecumseh Drive over 20 times for domestic violence calls since January 2024, suggesting that Solano might have been harbored by a woman at that same location. Both deputies were placed on administrative leave following the incident, aligning with BCSO policies.
During a news conference, Sheriff Salazar detailed Fernandez-Solano's troubled past, including a history of detentions and deportations. "Quite frankly, he's not somebody who even should have been in this country committing crimes or otherwise," Salazar told The San Antonio Express-News. Deputy Sigala has been part of the department since 2012, and Zinni since May 2023. Sigala was reported to be undergoing surgery for his hand injuries.
In previous incidents, Fernandez-Solano had made violent threats to his estranged girlfriend and her children. The deadly incident ensued when the deputies, while searching the house, encountered Fernandez-Solano in a bedroom. A physical struggle started, which quickly escalated as Fernandez-Solano shot at the deputies with the stolen firearm. The shootout lasted just three seconds, a sobering reminder of the dangerous unpredictability of law enforcement encounters. Authorities plan to release footage of the incident soon.
