Three San Antonio Police Officers Face Murder Charges Following Fatal Shooting
Three San Antonio police officers have been charged with murder after a woman experiencing a mental health crisis (Perez struggled from schizophrenia) was fatally shot last Friday. Melissa Perez, 46, was suspected of cutting wires to a fire alarm at the apartment complex, officers yelled for her to stop walking towards her apartment. The woman continued to her apartment. The video shows an officer on the patio of Perez’s apartment removing a window screen as Perez shouts “stop it” and “you ain’t got no warrant.”
The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Friday at the Rosemont at Miller’s Pond apartments, located in the 6200 block of Old Pearsall Road. An unidentified officer shouts “you’re going to get shot,” to which Perez replies “shoot me – you ain’t got no warrant.” The sound of glass breaking is later heard followed by two volleys of gunshots.
Perez was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS. The officers involved, Sgt. Alfred Flores and Officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos, have been suspended without pay and subsequently arrested on murder warrants.
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
Police Chief William McManus addressed the incident during a news conference, expressing that the officers’ actions contradicted the policies and training of the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD). McManus explained that the use of deadly force was deemed unreasonable given the circumstances surrounding the situation.
In an effort to provide transparency, the San Antonio Police Department released the body cam video (shown here) offering a detailed account of the incident, warning it is graphic. The case sheds light on police conduct and appropriate responses in such situations, they don’t know how to deal with it they are just shooting people. All officers have bonded out of jail.
What is missing? Chief McManus’ leadership to the residents of San Antonio.
SAPD held a press conference to address the incident, per protocol. However, instead of providing any sense of leadership to instill a sense of trust and confidence back within the community, who are supposed to ‘protect’ and serve, Chief McManus presented a blanket statement while not taking any questions.
Addressing preventable tragedies requires genuine introspection, proactive measures, and a sincere dedication to fixing the root causes while showing your consideration for the community’s trust in your office of ‘law enforcement’. SAPD lacks approach to handling crises while engaging with the community they serve. Public trust and confidence was not addressed. The San Antonio Police Officer’s Association does not offer support to this community, instead they feverishly work in the background to protect these murderers. This ties McManus’ hands but not his mouth, the public needs a leader to ensure public trust, or at a minimum, try.
The core of who SAPD and SAPOA is and what they truly stand for is a never ending question, as are all law enforcement agencies nationwide. There are always good officers, but which ones are they?
Perez’ family is suing the ex-officers who murdered their sister, mother, daughter and friend with the Packard Law Firm.
