Three San Antonio police officers have been charged with murder after a woman was fatally shot inside her apartment. The officers, identified as Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro, and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, were taken into custody and had their employment terminated.
The incident occurred during a mental health crisis when the woman, 46-year-old Melissa Perez, ran back into her apartment and locked the door.
Officers attempted to communicate with Perez through an open window. One of the officers removed the screen door from the window. Perez allegedly reacted by grabbing a glass candle and throwing it at the officer. The police officers backed away and waited for additional backup and a supervisor to arrive at the scene.
One group of officers positioned themselves at the front of the apartment, while the other three officers, including Flores, Alejandro, and Villalobos, were stationed at the back patio. The officers tried to convince Perez to exit the apartment, but she refused.
Two of the officers eventually jumped the patio railing and entered the patio area. One officer reported that Perez picked up a hammer and started approaching them from inside the apartment, hitting the window instead.
In response, one officer discharged his weapon, but it appeared that Perez was not hit. Perez then allegedly moved towards the window again, still armed with the hammer, and all three officers opened fire. Perez was struck by gunfire at least two times and died at the scene.
Following a thorough review by the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County District Attorney's Civil Rights Division, warrants were issued for the arrest of the three officers. The officers were charged with murder and were taken into custody on Friday night.
San Antonio Police Chief William P. McManus emphasized that the officers' actions were inconsistent with the department's policies and training. He stated, "They placed themselves in a situation where they used deadly force, which was not reasonable given all the circumstances as we now understand them."
The department's internal affairs, homicide unit, and the district attorney's civil rights division will conduct separate investigations.
San Antonio Police released the officer's body camera footage:
