Three San Antonio police officers have been charged with murder for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of a 46-year-old woman in the city’s southwest in the early hours of Friday morning.
Chief William McManus said later that day that the officers’ use of lethal force was deemed unreasonable.
According to McManus, the victim, Melissa Perez, is believed to have had an episode of mental health when she tampered with a fire alarm in her apartment on the southwest side around 2 a.m.
This action prompted a response from the local police and fire department.
After locking herself in her apartment, Perez’s situation escalated when, according to Chief McManus, she threw a hammer at the officers.
In response, Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro, and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos of the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) fired their weapons at Perez, striking her at least twice and resulting in her death.
Police then forced entry into the apartment in an attempt to provide medical assistance, but Perez was pronounced dead at the scene, as McManus said.
After a review of the evidence and discussions with the district attorney, warrants have been issued, as announced by the police chief Friday evening. Simultaneously, body camera footage of the incident was posted online.
Earlier today Chief McManus described the first details gathered about the incident on Old Pearsall Road as unreliable. sergeant. Flores served in the SAPD for 14 years, while Officer Alejandro and Officer Villalobos have served with the department for five and two years, respectively.