Bexar County Deputy Constable Darell Ward recounts surviving a gunman’s attack while serving an eviction. His reflections on life and gratitude highlight the chaos and unpredictability officers face daily.
SAN ANTONIO — It’s a first person account of a terrifying situation.
The Bexar County Deputy Constable who took a bullet while serving an eviction notice Tuesday is telling his story now.
Deputy Constable Darell Ward said of his reaction to became the target of a gunman “I prayed and you know I just, I sat there and thought about life and you know I was just, you know, thanking God that you know things turned out the way it did and it didn’t go any worse.”
Ward said he is thankful he came home to his two kids after the harrowing ordeal.
“My kids, they need their daddy, and you know I have two boys, and I’m all about them. My 11-year-old, he was worried about me and all I could think about is him and like I don’t know what they’ll do without me.”
He said he is grateful for his kids and the coworkers who helped save his life and the body armor that stopped a bullet from piercing his chest.
“Well, I can say that’s one strong vest! I can say I was just shocked, you know, I was just shocked that it didn’t go through, and I was just looking at, I was just surprised. I’m like this vest really saved my life right now and you know it could have been worse and whatever company provides those vests, we need more of those vests because that’s, that was a good vest!” Ward said.
It was an ordinary Tuesday until it wasn’t. Investigators say 49-year-old Kevin Gerber, who’s been facing eviction since paperwork was filed back in September, is accused of opening fire when constables enforced a judgment at the Artisan at Willow Springs Apartments on Gembler Road.
“You know, I wasn’t expecting for things to go south and I was just thinking about my guys up there and you know I had to have their back and it’s just so much was going through my head and my adrenaline was running and it was just, it was just chaotic during that time. I kept my composure and you know I stayed in the fight with the guys. I remained behind, and then just started listening to everything, hearing everything all the sources of the sounds and rounds going off, you know, it was just chaotic. And during that time you don’t know what to think, you don’t know how to feel, you just have to go with the emotion.”
Ward, who has been with the Precinct 4 Constables Office for about a year, said the culture of training and teamwork by Constable Kat Brown is a true lifesaver.
Ward said, “We take ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response) training, which is a very serious training. Of course it’s mandated through the state after the Uvalde incident, and one thing I can say about our constables, they always make sure we have the best training and the best resources for incidents like this, but no matter how much you train, things don’t always go the way it should be.”
Ward added the real world can be very different from the classroom.
“The way you learn in training, sometimes you might have to go outside the training and do things your way, because sometimes the way you learn in training is not the way, what’s happening on scene,” Ward said, “You gotta kind of start thinking, using the thought process when you get into a situation like this.”
Ward said he was uninjured in the attack but he is taking a few days off to process what happened. He plans to return to regular duty Monday.
“Pretty much, I’m just going to keep training and I’m in good spirits. I’m feeling well, I’m doing well, and I’m just going to keep training with my guys and learn,” Ward said, adding “You know, this is a learning tool. We’re going to use this as a learning tool, we’re going to grow from it, and learn based off this incident. At the end of the day, I know what I signed up for and I love what I do, so I just, you know, continue with the job.”
The accused shooter eventually surrendered after several tense hours, a period where Sheriff Javier Salazar said more rounds were fired from inside the apartment.
Gerber was initially hospitalized for injuries he sustained during the ordeal.
He finally made it out of the hospital and appeared before a magistrate during the overnight hours Wednesday night.
His charges: one count of attempted capital murder of a police officer and three counts of aggravated assault on a public servant for the other people who were in the line of fire.
Gerber’s bonds totaled $2.5 million and late Thursday he was still in jail.
If he is able to post bond, the judge has attached a number of conditions to his release.
One of those stipulations is full house arrest with a GPS monitor.
It’s unclear how someone who was just evicted from an apartment would be able to manage a full house arrest.
He would also be subject to drug and alcohol test, no alcohol consumption, no possession of firearms and he would be required to report in by telephone on a weekly basis.