SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department will soon release body camera video of the recent officer-involved shootings, according to Police Chief William McManus.
There have been five officer-involved shootings in less than two weeks. Six officers were injured, though one officer reportedly shot himself by accident during one of the police pursuits.
Several of the suspects were killed in the shootings.
On Monday, McManus said body camera footage would be released within 30 days.
However, footage of one of the incidents will not be made public, at least not in its entirety.
On August 24, police say they were following 24-year-old Jesse Garcia who was wanted on several outstanding warrants. At some point, Garcia allegedly opened fire out of a car, seriously injuring one officer. Police say he then carjacked someone and fled to a west-side apartment where he shot another officer.
KENS 5 submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, but the City of San Antonio said it couldn’t release the footage of the August 24 incident. The reason: The city claims the officer-involved shooting is somehow linked to a child abuse investigation. Under the 'Family Code Section' of Texas law, any investigation into child abuse is confidential. That means the public and media can’t access full reports and video.
It’s unclear how the shooting is tied to possible child abuse, but on the same day Garcia was arrested with five counts of aggravated assault against a public servant, he was also charged with one count of aggravated kidnapping.
KENS 5 requested body camera and dash camera footage of the other four shootings.