Trending Topics

BWC: Texas ex-deputy fires at officers before SWAT OIS

SWAT Officer Jesse Noriega’s shot grazed the suspect’s head, neutralizing the threat to officers; the suspect was treated at the hospital

By Joanna Putman
Police1

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Newly released video shows the moment a SWAT officer neutralized a threat presented by an ex-deputy firing shots outside an apartment building, NEWS4SA reported.

The video, released on Feb. 8 by the San Antonio Police Department, included 911 calls from residents of the apartment complex who said they heard many gunshots outside their homes.

Police and SWAT arrived at the scene, and body-worn camera video shows officers looking for a suspect. Gunshots can be heard, and officers are seen ducking for cover behind cruisers.

After the suspect fires more gunshots, several shots can be heard distinctly apart from the suspect’s shots.

“That was me,” SWAT Officer Jesse Noriega can be heard saying. “He had a gun pointed at us.”

Noriega’s shot grazed the suspect’s head, neutralizing the threat to officers, according to the report. Noriega’s body camera was turned off by accidental contact with a patrol car.

The suspect was identified as Jose Vasquez, 43, a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy, according to a KENS report. He was treated at a hospital and is expected to recover.