The defendants were suspended and arrested the same day as the incident. However, they were released on bail last Saturday.
Three police officers from the city of San Antonio, in the state of Texas (USA), face murder charges after allegedly A woman was shot and killed inside her apartment last Friday morning, reported the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), quoted this Monday by local media.
Sergeant Alfred Flores and officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos are the agents designated as the alleged murderers of Melissa Perez, 46. The defendants were suspended and arrested the same day as the incident. However, they were released on bail last Saturday.
Lieutenant Michelle Ramos explained that the events took place when the police officers responded to a report of vandalism in an apartment complex in the southwest of San Antonio. According to Ramos, the woman had “cut the cables of an alarm panel” against fires in the housing complex.
On the other hand, the head of the SAPD, William McManus, commented that the officers tried to take Perez to his patrol, but that she “ran back to her apartment and locked the door.” He also stated that she threw a candlestick, in addition to taking a hammer, which caused one of the policemen to shoot him.
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McManus said the three officers fired their weapons when the woman approached them with the hammer. Finally, the police officers were able to force their way into the deceased’s apartment, providing her with medical assistance until the emergency services arrived. However, Perez died at the scene from his gunshot wounds.
“It seems that Mrs. Perez was having a mental health crisis,” said William McManus, who reiterated that “the actions of the officers who shot were not consistent with the policy and training” of the institution under his charge. “They put themselves in a situation where they used deadly force, which was unreasonable given all the circumstances as we now understand them,” he said.
“Our condolences to the entire family of Melissa Perez. I want to assure her daughter that this incident will continue to be thoroughly investigated,” the SAPD chief concluded. Local media stated that so far there is no planning to carry out the corresponding investigations.
Source: RT
