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SAPD releases bodycam video of officer fatally shooting suspect during arrest

Video from police appeared to show that the man was holding a gun as he fled, and an officer in a car shot him as he approached. Viewer discretion is advised.

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) has released multiple body camera videos that show an officer shooting a suspect who was attempting to flee in a mid-July confrontation. 

The video appears to show the suspect running while holding a handgun moments before an officer drove up and shot him through the windshield of his cruiser.

Police said Adrian San Martin was wanted for several violent crimes, and they got a tip that he was at the WoodSpring Suites near I-35 and Eisenhauer Road on the northeast side. They tried to arrest him there on Sunday, July 16. 

"After several hours of conducting surveillance, officers observed the suspect enter the vehicle he was known to drive," SAPD officials said in the release. "A detective, wearing a tactical vest that was labeled with 'POLICE' on the front and back, quickly approached and ordered the suspect to show his hands. The suspect fled from the detective on foot, at which point the detective observed the suspect holding a gun in his hand."

Video from one officer's body camera does appear to show the man with a pistol in his hand as he ran away from officers in the parking lot. Officers shout that he has a gun, and order him to drop it. 

One officer chases him along the side of the building, past a civilian walking a dog and toward a pair of police vehicles.

*Warning: This video contains profane language and may be disturbing to watch.*

"Officers in one of the patrol vehicles saw the suspect running in their direction with a gun in his hand and drew their firearms. The officer driving the vehicle slowed down and shot twice through the windshield of the patrol vehicle, striking the suspect," police said.

The video from the officer who fired showed the moment that they pulled up to the scene and saw the suspect. Seconds after one of the officers in the car says that he has a gun, the officer driving fires two shots. 

San Martin, 30, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police said the day of the shooting that San Martin had active felony warrants for felon in possession of a firearm, family violence, evading arrest, unauthorized use of a vehicle and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The officer who shot him has been on the force for six years, and was placed on administrative duty per SAPD policy. 

An investigation remains ongoing, and the Bexar County district attorney's office is "reviewing the incident."

We reached out to San Martin’s loved ones for comment, and are waiting to hear back.

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