Karen Martinez says she was unarmed, suicidal, and standing outside a home on Loma Park Drive in December 2024 when a San Antonio police officer shot her twice, leaving her in a coma for an extended period and facing felony charges that were eventually dropped for lack of evidence. Nearly two years later, Martinez has filed a federal lawsuit against the officer who shot her, the city, the county, and her then-boyfriend and his father, alleging the shooting was the product of an unjustified rush to deadly force during a mental-health crisis.
Martinez’s suit, filed against San Antonio police Officer Andrew Davis, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Alejandro Chacon, Felix Chacon, the City of San Antonio, and Bexar County, was first reported by the San Antonio Express-News. According to the lawsuit, the confrontation began after an argument between Martinez and Alejandro Chacon, her boyfriend at the time, that started when he drove her to his home instead of her own. Felix Chacon, who shares an address with his son, called 911 to report that Martinez was threatening to harm herself and had a gun and a knife, the lawsuit states.
Three San Antonio Police Department officers responded to the call, which police documents described as involving a woman threatening herself and others. Officer Zachary Clifton ordered Martinez to show her hands and deployed a Taser that had no effect, according to KSAT, which reported that Officer Lacy Huerta was also on scene. Police said at the time that Martinez was armed with a blade-like object and had made suicidal threats and slashing motions toward her own arm, and an initial police report said she ran toward officers before Davis drew his weapon.
Two Shots, One Coma, and No Weapon Found
Martinez’s account, laid out in the lawsuit, directly contradicts the initial police version. She says she stepped away from the officers and that she possessed no knife, firearm, or other item that could have been mistaken for a weapon. An arrest affidavit filed December 26, 2024, stated that Martinez had threatened to kill herself but did not directly threaten police, even as it said Davis believed she had a knife before he discharged his firearm, striking her twice…