AT A GLANCE
- SAPD is in open conflict after three former officers were acquitted in the shooting death of Melissa Perez.
- SAPOA President Danny Diaz is pushing a no-confidence vote against Chief William McManus, calling his actions “knee-jerk” and “politically motivated.”
- The acquitted officers say SAPD leadership lacked courage and rushed to judgment.
- McManus stands by his decision to fire them, insisting policy violations occurred.
The SAPD internal conflict has escalated sharply as the San Antonio Police Officers’ Association moves toward a no-confidence vote against Chief William McManus following the acquittal of three former officers charged in the 2023 killing of Melissa Perez. The union’s push comes after weeks of public criticism and renewed tension between rank-and-file officers and department leadership.
SAPOA President Danny Diaz sent a letter to union members saying McManus’ handling of the case showed “knee-jerk” reactions and “politically motivated” decisions. Diaz argued McManus should have placed the officers on administrative duty rather than ordering their arrests within 16 hours of the shooting.
“That wasn’t the right decision to do, so our members don’t have confidence in the chief,” Diaz said. Diaz also said he “absolutely” believes there is enough member support to move the vote forward at the next union meeting.
The conflict centers on the June 2023 mental-health call that ended with Perez shot dead inside her apartment. Officers Eleazar Alejandro, Alfred Flores, and Nathaniel Villalobos encountered Perez behind her glass patio door, holding a hammer. Body-camera footage showed Perez breaking the glass with the hammer and throwing a candle, prompting the officers to fire. McManus fired all three officers days later, saying Perez was behind the door and not an imminent deadly threat.
Their criminal trial ended last week with a Bexar County jury finding all three not guilty of murder or aggravated assault. Following the verdict, the former officers sat down for their first interview with News4, saying they are still processing the night they learned they were being arrested.
All three former officers argued that policy on paper doesn’t match leadership in action, accusing command staff of treating them as disposable.
SAPD sent an email statement from McManus to KSAT defending his decisions. “I recognize that this case has stirred strong emotions within the Department and the community. My decisions in this case were based on the specific circumstances involved,” he said.
He added that he consistently supports officers when force is within policy and the law, and denied that politics or external pressure played any role. “I will continue to work with SAPOA… to address our differences in a way that supports both our officers and the community we serve.”
SAPOA’s board will meet with union members over the next several weeks and decide on December 11 whether to formally hold the no-confidence vote. The results, like the 2016 vote in which 97 percent of members disapproved of McManus, would be non-binding but politically significant.
