SAN ANTONIO — A traffic stop ended tragically in Converse Saturday evening, as police approached a car to check on a man who had been reported as missing and endangered.
Converse Police Lt. Gil Martinez says his officers did not hear the gunshot that may have taken the life of the man, but a fatal sequence of events took just minutes to unravel.
Police transmissions on Broadcastify, a service that rebroadcasts official radio communications, indicate that officers saw a wanted blue Ford Fusion traveling on Rocket Lane, near Judson Middle School, at about 4:45 p.m.
Officers could be heard talking with their dispatcher about a request for assistance from San Antonio Police, who advised the driver of the car had been reported as armed and possibly suicidal.
Just one minute later, as officers initiated a stop and approached the car, they realized the man was gravely injured.
"As the contact officer came to the window, the cover officer on the passenger side of the vehicle saw the driver moving around and as the officer opened the driver's door, the driver fell out of the vehicle, with what appeared to be some type of gunshot wound," Martinez said.
Martinez said the officers started life-saving efforts immediately.
"Then, when EMS arrived, they took over medical care and then he was transported to (San Antonio Military Medical Center)," Martinez said.
Martinez said when the man arrived at the hospital, he was pronounced dead. Martinez added he does not believe the man had outstanding arrest warrants or any other type of legal trouble.
An official ruling on cause and manner of death will be made by the medical examiner. The name of the man has not been released.
