In San Antonio, Texas, three police officers are facing murder charges following a tragic event that left a woman dead in her own apartment. This incident occurred in the early hours of a Friday morning.
Melissa Perez, a 46-year-old woman, seemed to be going through a mental health crisis. The police were alerted when she was seen cutting wires of the fire alarm system in her apartment building. At first, firefighters went to check on the situation. Melissa, who was outside walking her dog, dashed into her apartment and locked the door when she saw the officers.
When the police tried to enter her apartment, Melissa threw a glass candle at them, striking one of the officers in the arm. She also had a hammer with her. An officer fired shots that didn’t hit her. But when she came closer to them with the hammer, the three officers shot at her, and this time, she was hit.
Sadly, Melissa was pronounced dead right there. No one else was hurt by the gunfire.
San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) shared a video from the body cameras the officers were wearing. In the video, you can hear Melissa telling the officers they can’t come in without a warrant.
The chief of SAPD, William McManus, spoke at a news conference about what happened. He explained that the officers did not follow the rules and training they received. He said they should not have used their guns in the way they did.
He also wanted people to know that most officers work hard to keep everyone safe, and this incident doesn’t represent all the officers in SAPD.
The officers involved in the shooting are Sgt. Alfred Flores, Eleazar Alejandro, and Nathaniel Villalobos. They had been with the police for 14, 5, and 2 years respectively. After being arrested and suspended from work, they were later set free after paying $100,000 bail each.
The investigation into what each officer did is still going on. The local district attorney’s civil rights division is also looking into the case.