3 San Antonio Police Officers Charged for Killing of Woman

(Scypre.com) – According to the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), three officers from the department, namely Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro, and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, have been charged with murder for their involvement in the killing of a woman in her apartment on the Southwest Side. The victim, Melissa Perez, aged 46, was shot and killed during the incident, which occurred early Friday morning. All three officers were arrested on Friday night and subsequently released on bond on Saturday.

SAPD Chief William McManus stated on Friday night that the officers deviated from the department’s training and policy by using deadly force, which, considering the circumstances as they are currently understood, was deemed unreasonable. McManus mentioned that Perez was in the midst of a mental health crisis and had a hammer in her hand at the time she was shot by the police through the patio window and door of her apartment.

While the SAPD has released a portion of edited and blurred body-worn camera footage from the incident, additional footage has been requested by KSAT, a news outlet covering the story. The department initially stated that the officers’ employment had been terminated, but later clarified that they were suspended without pay, although further clarification on this matter is still being sought.

Following the filing of murder charges, three separate investigations have been initiated by SAPD’s Internal Affairs and Homicide units, as well as the Bexar County District Attorney’s Civil Rights Division.

Alexis Tovar, Perez’s daughter, released a statement through her attorney expressing their family’s devastation, as they have always been supportive of the police and now feel uncertain about whom to trust. The Packard Law Firm, representing Tovar, also released an image of Perez.

Neighborhood residents, such as Ruben Veloz, who lived next door to Perez, were caught off guard by the shooting and were unaware of any ongoing issues until they noticed the broken windows later in the day. Veloz described Perez as a kind person but admitted to not being fully aware of the entire sequence of events leading up to the tragic incident.

The shooting occurred at around 2 a.m. on Friday at the Rosemont at Miller’s Pond apartments on Old Pearsall Road. The police had been called due to a report of Perez damaging property at the apartment complex. Chief McManus explained that Perez, in the midst of her mental health crisis, was cutting wires related to the fire alarm system when officers arrived. She engaged in a conversation with the San Antonio Fire Department crews in the parking lot but quickly retreated to her apartment and locked the door upon seeing the officers.

Attempts were made to communicate with Perez through a window, but she threw a glass candle at one of the officers, hitting his arm. Officers Flores, Alejandro, and Villalobos then approached Perez’s apartment’s back patio, trying to persuade her to come outside but were unsuccessful. Two of the officers accessed the patio by jumping over the railing and engaged Perez through a window and door.

According to McManus, while the window was open, the officers removed the screen, and they were treating the incident as a felony criminal mischief case. One of the officers reported that Perez picked up a hammer and began approaching them from inside. Perez swung the hammer at the officers, breaking the window that separated her apartment from the patio. One of the officers fired a shot, but it did not seem to hit Perez.

Perez moved towards the window again, still holding the hammer, and at this point, all three officers opened fire, as stated by McManus. Perez was struck by at least two bullets. The police then forcibly entered the apartment and administered medical aid until emergency medical services arrived, but Perez succumbed to her injuries and died at the scene.

McManus extended condolences to Melissa Perez’s family and assured her daughter that a thorough investigation of the incident would continue. He did not provide a specific timeline for the conclusion of the investigation.

The three officers charged with murder, Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro, and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, have served with the San Antonio Police Department for 14 years, 5 years, and 2 years, respectively, according to Chief McManus.

Court records indicate that each officer has been charged with murder, and their bonds have been set at $100,000 each. All three officers have since posted bond and been released from the Bexar County Jail, awaiting trial.

Chief McManus reiterated that the officers’ actions deviated from the department’s policy and training, as they resorted to deadly force in a situation where it was deemed unreasonable, based on the current understanding of the circumstances.