SAN ANTONIO – A man was shot and killed by San Antonio Police early this morning after officers say he pulled a handgun while they were trying to question him on the West Side.
The deadly shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. off Hammond Street near Nopal Street.
Acting Police Chief Jesse Salame said a probationary officer and a field training officer first spotted a man riding a bicycle whom they considered suspicious and tried to stop him. The man did not stop, and the officers followed him while calling for backup.
Salame said officers confronted the man outside a home, where “the male… pulled out a handgun.” He said four of the five officers at the scene “opened fire on the male after he pulled out the gun.”
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have not released the man’s identity, saying only that he appeared to be middle-aged.
The officers involved have a wide range of experience, from less than one year on the force to about 20 years, Salame said.
Salame said he had heard reports the man was carrying “some sort of aerosol or some sort of flammable can on him,” but emphasized, “I have not been able to confirm.” He added that it “certainly wasn’t what appears to be the cause of his death.”
None of the officers were injured.
As is standard procedure, the shooting will be investigated by the department’s specialized shooting investigation team and Internal Affairs.