Law enforcement agencies initially responded to the apartment complex for what San Antonio Police Chief William McManus called a “suicide in progress.”
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Police Chief William McManus confirmed that seven officers were shot in Stone Oak on Wednesday evening after responding to a call for a possible suicide attempt.
The department later reported that the officers’ injuries were considered non-life-threatening.
The suspect barricaded himself in an apartment for several hours, and he later was found dead by SWAT officers.
“The first officer who arrived was shot, and six officers subsequent to that were shot as well,” McManus said. “The suspect barricaded himself inside the apartment for several hours. At the end of the event, the suspect was found to be deceased.”
The incident began at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Sonterra Heights apartment complex in the 18700 block of Stone Oak Parkway on the city’s far north side.
McManus said the suspect was a male in his 40s, but there was no further description.
He said it was unclear whether the man shot himself or was shot by officers.
The suspect had three arrests on Jan. 18, two for assault offenses and one for DWI. He was out on bond at the time, McManus said.
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A resident of the apartment complex, Joseph Loredo, earlier told KENS 5 that he was studying for an exam when he “heard a loud pop” and then saw helicopters overhead. He later heard a series of shots fired.
“I just heard a loud pop, it was a like a single pop. I didn’t think much of it and my mom is living with me so she told me to come out to the balcony because she heard a lot of noise,” Loredo said. “Sure enough when we go out to the balcony, we hear a bunch of helicopters. And then 20 seconds after we were out there, we heard more shots. It was like two or three shots. I told my mom, ‘Hey mom, those are gunshots.'”
Loredo later described a police officer he saw at the scene.
“I saw an SAPD officer on the ground. It looked like he got shot,” he said. “The only reason I think he got shot is that I think they were putting like a tourniquet on him and they dragged him away.”
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McManus said in a mid-evening update that it is not known whether the suspect was still alive at that point.
“We are working on a plan to get the shooter out,” McManus said earlier in the standoff. “The folks who were able to be evacuated, were evacuated. The others who were not able to be evacuated safely were not.”
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez offered his thoughts and prayers to the SAPD officers and their families on X.
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This is a developing story. KENS 5 will provide updates as more information becomes available.