The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) released two videos of officer-involved shootings last week.
Both incidents occurred in mid-April.
In the first case, which occurred on April 15 at the San Antonio International Airport, the footage released is from airport surveillance cameras. The suspect is seen driving in the wrong lane of the airport’s pick up and drop off area, prompting a nearby officer to walk toward the vehicle.
The suspect, identified as 46-year-old Joe Gomez, then steps out of the vehicle and starts shooting in different directions. The police officer, John Maines, can be seen taking cover behind a concrete column before firing a shot at Gomez, who then gets into his car. Maines immediately takes advantage of the time gap and advances toward the cover of another column. Gomez then gets out of his vehicle, kneels on the ground, and fatally shoots himself.
“The wounded suspect then used his own gun to kill himself. The officer was equipped with a body worn camera but due to the extreme circumstances, he did not activate prior to the shooting,” police said in a statement.
The second incident occurred a day later on the 2300 block of Pinn Road in San Antonio. A police officer stopped a vehicle with two males and a female inside. The officer, Tyler Sauvage, asks the driver to step out of the car after he smells marijuana, the driver replies that he previously smoked but resists Sauvage’s orders.
The passenger can then be heard asking the female in the backseat for a gun. Subsequently, the police officer is shot by one of the vehicle occupants, striking his hand and radio. Sauvage then returns fire and runs for cover behind his vehicle, dropping his gun in the process as the wound on his hand impedes him from operating the firearm properly. He eventually manages and again opens fire into the car. The two males are killed in the gunfire and the female suffered a minor injury, according to police.
Sammie Barbosa, 33, the driver, and Alex Garcia, 25, the passenger, were identified as the two men pronounced deceased. The female has not been charged as of June 10.
According to SAPD’s public affairs manager, Mariah Medina, this is the department’s current understanding of the incidents. She added that officer-involved shooting investigations are “comprehensive and can take over a year.”
Both police officers remain on administrative duty.
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