A newly released surveillance video shows the moments leading up to the shooting of Markay Garcia, the wife of a Sotomayor High School assistant football coach, by a Northside Independent School District police officer outside of a crowded high school football stadium in San Antonio, Texas.

Shooting Details

The footage, released by the San Antonio Police Department, captures the encounter between Garcia and Northside ISD officers Joseph Garcia and Kyle Kennedy. The video shows Officer Kennedy stepping in front of Garcia’s SUV and Officer Garcia attempting to open the driver’s door before the vehicle lurched forward. Kennedy then reached into the vehicle and fired a single shot, striking Markay Garcia in the upper arm.

Garcia survived the shooting but suffered a shattered humerus bone, a destroyed triceps muscle, and has permanent nerve damage, according to a federal lawsuit she filed against the district and two of its officers.

Officer’s Actions Questioned

A nationally recognized policing scholar, Michael Sierra-Arévalo, reviewed the surveillance footage and questioned the officers’ actions, stating that they made a series of tactical mistakes that unnecessarily increased the danger for everyone nearby.

Sierra-Arévalo noted that Officer Garcia’s attempt to open the door of a vehicle that was not secured in park while Kennedy simultaneously positioned himself directly in front of the SUV was a poor tactical decision.

The officer who shot Garcia, Kyle Kennedy, was later indicted by a grand jury and surrendered his peace officer’s license as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Original reporting: San Antonio, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.