San Antonio police have made public a three‑minute body‑camera video that captures the September 25 shooting of 29‑year‑old Michael Angel Roque outside a bar west of downtown. The footage, released Friday, shows a coordinated response by ten officers after a lengthy effort to persuade the suspect to surrender his weapon.
Incident Overview
At approximately 8 p.m., officers responded to a call reporting a man carrying a shotgun inside a bag at a convenience store on the 500 block of Ruiz Street. Investigators located Roque about a block away and attempted to detain him. The video shows Roque pulling away, running with the bag, and ignoring repeated commands to drop it.
Police officers then moved the encounter to a nearby bar parking lot where several customer vehicles were present. Roque stood near the bar entrance holding the bag in a manner that suggested he was pointing a shotgun, and officers reported seeing the gun’s handle.
De‑escalation Attempts
For roughly 20 minutes, officers used a speaker to communicate with Roque, repeatedly telling him they were there to help. One officer can be heard saying, “Mike, we’re here to help you out, Mike. I understand that you have trouble seeing, OK, we aren’t saying you did anything, Mike.” The department says officers also deployed less‑lethal beanbag ammunition during the standoff.
Use of Force
According to police, Roque then racked the slide of his shotgun, prompting the ten officers to open fire while continuing to order him to drop the weapon. The video shows Roque lying on the pavement after being struck multiple times. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and later charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer.
Background and Ongoing Investigation
Witnesses told KSAT that Roque had allegedly stabbed a woman earlier in the week. The woman reported that Roque warned officers, “Put your guns down or you’re going to kill me.” All ten officers involved have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of investigations.
The San Antonio Police Department’s shooting team and Internal Affairs unit are conducting separate but concurrent investigations, and the case has been referred to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for review. The department emphasized that the officers followed protocol, used less‑lethal options first, and only resorted to lethal force when the suspect appeared to be preparing to fire his shotgun.
Community Impact
Local leaders have expressed support for the officers’ actions, noting the importance of protecting public safety while also urging continued training in de‑escalation techniques. The release of the video is intended to provide transparency to the community and to demonstrate that law‑enforcement officers are held accountable for their decisions in high‑risk situations.
Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.
