SAN ANTONIO — An hours-long effort by law enforcement to apprehend a man who allegedly shot a Bexar County deputy attempting to arrest him ended when officials confirmed the suspect was dead, Sheriff Javier Salazar said.
It's “too early to tell,” however, whether he died from deputies’ gunfire or if he took his own life. The deputy later identified as Miguel Gonzalez, 54, meanwhile, is expected to survive.
Salazar said the suspect was inside a backyard "shed" of some type along the 200 block of Demya Drive on the far west side when a group of deputies and a sergeant attempted to make contact with him around 3 p.m.
Law enforcement officers were working to execute a pair of felony warrants for robbery and a drug-related crime.
Salazar said the suspect, identified only as an "18- or 19-year-old man," did not respond when deputies knocked on the front door. A deputy then went to the back door and found it unlocked.
"The suspect began firing either through the door or once the door opened," he said.
The deputy was struck in the upper back. The sheriff said law enforcement returned fire, and a few hours after the initial confrontation they used "a drone operator" to enter the property, at which point the suspect was found dead.
Salazar later said he reviewed body camera footage, in which the sheriff said "what sounds like automatic gunfire" can be heard.
The dead man's family cursed at law enforcement from behind the crime scene tape. They did not hear Salazar say their son shot first, after a deputy opened the door.
"My heart certainly goes out to those folks," Salazar said.
"They're upset... I can understand that. With that being said, one person determined the course of action today: that suspect," he added.
Meanwhile, the agency is expected to release that body came video in the coming days.
“Our intent is to release that body camera video as soon as we’re able to," Salazar said.
Another BCSO deputy retrieved his injured colleague after the initial confrontation and transported him to University Hospital.
"At present, he is stabilized," Salazar said around 5 p.m. "It looks like he's going to survive."
BCSO briefly evacuated nearby residences as a precaution.
Several law enforcement agencies were on the scene, including BCSO, San Antonio Police and Texas Department of Public Safety, along with SWAT and K-9 units.
This is a developing story. Check back with KENS5.com for updates.
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