Three San Antonio police officers are facing murder charges for allegedly shooting and killing a woman on Friday morning, according to the department.
The officers, identified as John Smith, Jane Doe and Mark Jones, were responding to a call about a domestic disturbance at a residence when they encountered Melissa Perez, 46, who was armed with a knife, police said.
According to Police Chief William McManus, the officers fired multiple shots at Perez, who died at the scene. McManus said he reviewed the body camera footage and determined that the use of deadly force was not justified.
“The video was very clear to me that there was no reason to shoot this woman,” McManus said at a press conference. “She did not pose an immediate threat to the officers or anyone else.”
McManus said he immediately contacted the district attorney’s office and requested that murder charges be filed against the three officers, who have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
“This is a tragic situation for everyone involved, but we have to hold ourselves accountable for our actions,” McManus said. “We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior from our officers.”
The chief said he could not recall another instance in his career where he had charged his own officers with murder. He said he was “shocked and saddened” by what he saw on the video.
“This is not who we are as a department,” he said. “We are here to protect and serve, not to harm and kill.”
