SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Three San Antonio officers fatally shot a 27-year-old man who police said pulled a gun on them Monday afternoon, leaving a family wanting answers and a community on edge.
Police Chief William McManus said the officers were on routine patrol in the vicinity of North Hamilton and West Laurel, near Woodlawn Lake Park, when they came across the man, who family members identified as Kevin Johnson, KSAT-TV reports.
The officers tried to stop him, but he ran and at some point pulled a gun from his waistband, McManus said.
“At what point the officers shot, I don’t know because again I haven’t seen the body cam,” McManus said. A weapon was recovered, he said.
McManus said the man was wanted on two felony warrants, including assault of a police officer and felony possession of a firearm.
McManus said he didn’t know how many rounds the officers fired, but a woman, Jasmine Johnson, who described herself as Johnson’s sister said he was shot nine times in the back, KSAT-TV reports.
The shooting led to a tense and chaotic scene between police and people who had gathered in the aftermath.
At one point, police tossed pepper spray at the angry crowd, including Johnson’s mother Arlene Garcia, who along with her daughter, told KSAT they just wanted answers about what led up to the shooting of their loved one.
”They shot my son from behind, and that’s wrong. They shot him nine times, and nobody here has nothing to say to me. Nobody has nothing to say,” Garcia said, gesturing towards the line of officers.
Johnson’s father was seen trying to rush officers, but people in the crowd held him back.
Authorities have not released any details about how many times or where on his body Johnson was shot.
The crowd started to become irate with police officers and even started to chant obscenities. More people were pepper-sprayed, and some members of the crowd could be seen trying to wash it off with bottled water. Several people were detained by police and taken from the scene.
As some officers tried to leave, the crowd dispersed and surrounded an SAPD unit and were banging on the windows before the officer eventually drove off. One of the SAPD vehicles also had its tires slashed.
The officers involved in the shooting have been with the department for 4, 5 and 16 years, McManus said. They will be placed on administrative duty as per department policy.
