A San Antonio police officer opened fire on a man during a traffic stop late Tuesday night on the city's West Side, after the man allegedly reached for a firearm in the middle of a physical struggle. The man was left in critical condition following the confrontation near the 200 block of South San Horacio.
According to KSAT, officers responded to the traffic stop late Tuesday and became involved in a physical struggle with the man before the shooting occurred. Acting Police Chief Jesus “Jesse” Salame Jr. delivered the preliminary briefing on the incident, according to the station's report. WOAI also reported on the shooting, noting the 18-year-old man was left in critical condition after the encounter, per WOAI.
A Department In Transition
The shooting comes as SAPD navigates a leadership change at the top. Salame assumed interim leadership of the department on July 11, 2026, according to the San Antonio Report. He is a 26-year SAPD veteran who previously served as assistant chief and chief of staff under the department's prior leadership.
Former Chief William McManus retired on July 10, 2026, after leading SAPD for nearly 20 years, stepping down early to take an executive security role with local developer Silver Ventures, the San Antonio Express-News reported. McManus had guided the department through a series of policy modernizations during his tenure.
What Happens Next
Under SAPD's critical incident release guidelines, updated in September 2022, body-worn camera footage from officer-involved shootings resulting in death or serious injury must be released to the public within 30 days. The department halved its previous 60-day window in an effort to improve transparency, per KSAT's earlier reporting on that policy change.
The shooting will also face independent scrutiny beyond SAPD. Every officer-involved shooting involving SAPD officers is reviewed by the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney's Civil Rights Division and submitted to a grand jury, a process established when the division was created in October 2020. Officials with that unit reported managing a significant case backlog in November 2023, tied to a multi-year rise in officer-involved shooting reviews across county agencies, the Bexar County DA's office has noted, meaning reviews of cases like this one can take months to resolve.
A West Side With A Painful History
The West Side has been the site of several high-profile SAPD use-of-force cases involving young people in recent years. A federal civil trial began in August examining the 2018 fatal police shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Charles Roundtree Jr. on the West Side, a case Hoodline has been covering as it unfolds. In that case, Roundtree's estate alleged excessive force and inadequate training.
In November 2025, a Bexar County jury acquitted three former SAPD officers of murder and assault charges in the June 2023 shooting death of Melissa Perez, marking the first time multiple on-duty SAPD officers had faced murder charges. And in October 2022, former officer James Brennand was fired and later indicted after shooting 17-year-old Erik Cantu during a stop in a McDonald's parking lot; Brennand was dismissed just three days after the encounter for violating training protocols.
Community reform group ACT 4 SA and other local civil rights activists have repeatedly pressed City Council and SAPD for faster video disclosures and independent oversight following critical police encounters, advocacy that previously helped push the department to shorten its bodycam release window. No further details about the condition of the man shot Tuesday night or the officer involved have been released as the investigation continues.
