The unidentified suspect had pulled out a weapon when the officer fired and hit him, according to Police Chief Marco Peña.
ELMENDORF, Texas — A police officer in Elmendorf was investigating a suspicious vehicle before he shot and injured a man who had allegedly broken into a nearby home, officials in the south Bexar County community say.
The unidentified suspect was taken to a hospital, and a woman he was with was taken into custody. Their charges are unknown at this point.
Police Chief Marco Peña said this was the first local shooting involving an Elmendorf PD officer since the 2014 killing of then-Chief Michael Pimentel.
“It’s been quite a while,” Peña said.
According to the chief, a neighbor initially called police about a suspicious black vehicle in the 400 block of South Fifth Ave., a residential area. When the arriving officer was talking to that neighbor he heard “a lot of rumbling” in the home the car was outside of.
That’s when the man and woman emerged.
“The officer saw them ge tout and then the officer tried to approach them, (but) they ran,” Peña said.
The officer briefly chased the pair, at which point the man pulled out a handgun.
“The officer discharged his firearm multiple times, hitting the subject,” the chief said, adding the unidentified officer was concerned for his safety.
It’s unknown if the suspect raised his handgun at the officer, nor how many times he was shot. The officer wasn’t injured.
Peña commended the community member for calling in the suspicious car.
“It says they’re looking out for each other,” he said. “I’m glad we got a call and were able to deal with the situation.”
Personnel with Texas Rangers and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office were on the scene assisting Elmendorf PD.