Two former San Antonio officers acquitted in Perez’s shooting express deep emotional impact despite the not-guilty verdict.
SAN ANTONIO — Two former San Antonio police officers acquitted in the 2023 shooting death of Melissa Perez are speaking publicly for the first time, describing the past two years as anything but free despite Monday’s not-guilty verdicts.
Nathaniel Villalobos and Alfred Flores, along with former Officer Eleazar Alejandro, were charged with shooting and killing Perez inside her apartment in June 2023. All three were found not guilty this week after a four-week trial. Jurors deliberated for about 90 minutes.
The officers were arrested roughly 16 hours after the shooting. Villalobos said he was stunned when he received notice to turn himself in.
“It turned our world upside down, pulled the rug out from under our feet,” Villalobos said. “My wife was bathing our son. I walked upstairs and told them, ‘I have to go turn myself in.’ Never in a million years did I think this would be the case.”
Body-camera video showed Perez charging at officers while holding a hammer inside her apartment. Flores and Villalobos were positioned on the patio near an open window, while Alejandro stood just outside the railing.
The lead detective on the case later wrote in the arrest warrants that Perez did not pose an imminent threat at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors echoed that argument during trial. Jurors, however, ultimately disagreed.
Flores said he fired because he believed he was in danger.
“There’s no way in the world that I would engage with my firearm if I was not in fear of my life,” Flores said.
Villalobos echoed that sentiment, saying he feared for himself and for Flores.
“I was afraid for myself, I was afraid for Sgt. Flores that we weren’t going to get to go home to our families that night,” Villalobos said.
Flores said officers could not simply walk away from the scene because Perez had already thrown a candle at an officer and he knew there was an elderly man inside the apartment.
“That’s too much liability for me as a supervisor,” he said. “Sometimes you leave a scene, and things go south from there.”
Both former officers said using deadly force was never their desired outcome. However, they are frustrated with how both department leadership and the district attorney handled the case.
“I do feel as if Chief McManus has failed us,” Villalobos said. “I think there’s a lot of things he can do, I don’t think it’s just him alone but being that representation of this institution, I think he needs to hold accountability.”
Flores said he was frustrated with the public perception of the situation. He said when they arrived to the scene, it was for an officer in trouble call, not a mental health call.
“We have to run with these stories for the rest of our lives that are going to be out there,” Flores said.
However, they acknowledge how heartbreaking the situation is for all involved, including the Perez family. Villalobos shared a direct message to the family.
“From the bottom of my heart, I wish them nothing but love and my deepest condolences,” he said.
As for what comes next, Flores said he needs time to feel “human again,” while Villalobos said he hopes to eventually return to the department.
“I love San Antonio. I’m born and raised here,” Villalobos said. “I would love nothing more than to serve my community again. So yes, I would like to get my job back, but we’ll see where time takes us.”