The swift acquittals of three San Antonio Police Department officers in the 2023 shooting of Melissa Perezdidn’t just close the first trial where SAPD officers faced murder charges for an on-duty shooting — it cracked open raw emotion and division.
Anger and finger-pointing are spreading across the department. Frustration over the case is fueling calls for a no-confidence vote against Chief William McManus. There is also a plan to seek a possible investigation by the Texas Rangers, as well as to file a grievance against the city of San Antonio related to the case, the San Antonio Express-News has learned. The union is also taking heat.
A Bexar County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes on Monday before clearing the former officers in Perez’s death. Sgt. Alfred Flores and Officer Eleazar Alejandro, whose bullets struck Perez, were charged with murder. Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, whose shot missed, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon…