A wanted man is in the hospital after San Antonio police shot him during a Friday afternoon foot chase on the city’s West Side, a brief but chaotic scene that unfolded behind a line of neighborhood homes.
Officers swarmed the area near Vera Cruz Street and Southwest 19th Street after a tip about the suspect’s whereabouts and say the chase wrapped up in brush behind the houses. Police have not released the man’s name or his current condition.
San Antonio police told KABB they were called about a person wanted on several felony warrants and that an anonymous tip pointed them to a house near the intersection. According to officers, the occupant said the wanted man was not inside but might be in the backyard. The suspect then bolted, jumped a fence and ran into brush behind nearby homes, police said.
During the chase, officers reported that three shots were fired. The man was hit twice, a handgun was recovered at the scene and he was taken to a hospital, according to police.
Investigations and department policy
Detectives are leading the investigation and, in line with standard procedure, the officers involved will be placed on administrative duty while the shooting is reviewed. The City of San Antonio maintains an open-data officer-involved shootings library that tracks past incidents and how they are reported under Texas law; those records are available on the city’s OIS page at City of San Antonio.
Earlier this month, KSAT reported a May 5 officer-involved shooting on the city’s South Side where officers who fired their weapons were also placed on administrative leave while detectives processed the scene, reflecting the same internal review process now underway in the West Side case.
How the chase unfolded
According to KABB, officers ran the suspect through backyards before catching up with him in the brush behind the homes. Police said three shots were fired during the encounter and that a handgun was found where the man went down. Officials say more details will be released after detectives finish interviews and process the scene.
Legal implications
Police said the suspect was wanted on multiple felony warrants, including at least one for unlawful carrying by a felon. Any findings on the officers’ use of force are typically reviewed internally by the department and separately by the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact detectives or Crime Stoppers as the case moves forward. Detectives said they will provide additional information when it becomes available.
