Body camera footage released Monday by San Antonio police shows a sudden, violent burst of gunfire as SWAT officers move in to serve a warrant on the North Side. The June 16 encounter left one SWAT officer wounded and the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Roman Peña, also injured and taken into custody. In the video, officers close in on a parked vehicle, and within seconds, shots ring out.
Video shows shootout during warrant attempt
In the released clip, four SWAT officers pull an unmarked unit in front of a parked vehicle where Peña is seated, then step out and walk toward the car. According to police, the officers saw Peña holding a handgun, and investigators say he opened fire on them first. All four officers then returned fire, according to News 4 San Antonio. The exchange lasts only moments but is intense enough to send everyone scrambling for cover.
Who was hurt and where
The shooting unfolded around 5 p.m. on June 16 at an apartment complex on the 12300 block of Jones Maltsberger Road near Starcrest Drive. Both Peña and one SWAT officer were taken to the hospital. The San Antonio Police Department told reporters the officer was shot once in the leg, while Peña was hit in the hand and shoulder. No bystanders were injured, as reported by Univision 41 San Antonio.
Charges and investigations
Peña now faces four counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer. The SAPD's Shooting Team and Internal Affairs are running separate but concurrent investigations into the incident, and the Bexar County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case, according to News 4 San Antonio. The department publicly identified the four officers involved as Adel Mokrane, with 9 years on the force, Nathan Bundy, also 9 years, Jose Sahagun, 8 years, and Brandon Pratt, 8 years.
Policy on bodycam releases
The department released the video more than a month after the shooting, in line with its existing procedures for critical-incident footage and body-worn cameras. The City of San Antonio's open-data pages catalog previous critical-incident videos and lay out the department's process for releasing them, according to the City of San Antonio.
SAPD has not provided further updates on the wounded officer's condition, and the review by the Bexar County District Attorney's Office is still underway.
