SAN ANTONIO – Body camera footage released Friday shows 10 San Antonio Police Department officers shooting at an armed suspect outside a bar.
The 3-minute video depicts the events of the Sept. 25 shooting, which occurred west of downtown San Antonio. Officers initially responded around 8 p.m. to a convenience store located in the 500 block of Ruiz Street, following reports of a man carrying a shotgun in a bag.
Upon arrival, officers found the suspect, identified as Michael Angel Roque, 29, sitting about a block away from the convenience store.
The footage begins with officers engaging Roque, instructing him to stand for detainment. However, Roque pulls away and flees with the bag in his possession.
Despite repeated commands to drop the bag, Roque did not comply. The situation escalated when he was located in a nearby bar parking lot, where police noted that several customer vehicles were present and additional officers were called for backup.
In the video, officers describe Roque as holding the bag in a manner that suggested he was pointing a shotgun, with police confirming they could see the handle of the weapon.
For approximately 20 minutes, officers attempted to communicate with Roque using a speaker, assuring him, “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.”
As the situation developed, officers deployed “less-than-lethal bean bag ammunition” in an attempt to subdue Roque. However, he responded by racking the slide of his shotgun, prompting ten officers to discharge their firearms while urgently instructing him to “drop the gun.”
The video concludes with Roque lying in the parking lot after being struck multiple times. He was subsequently transported to a hospital in critical condition and faces a charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer.
All ten officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of investigations. Both the San Antonio Police Department’s shooting team and internal affairs unit are conducting separate but concurrent inquiries into the incident.
Furthermore, the shooting has been referred to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for review. As investigations continue, the community is left to grapple with the implications of this encounter.
