Three San Antonio police officers fired, charged with murder after woman shot at apartment

Video content featured in this story may be considered graphic.

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus is announcing the termination and arrest of three of his officers after a woman was shot and killed from inside her apartment Friday morning.

The woman is now identified as 46-year-old Melissa Perez, and officers were called to the scene on report of a woman destroying property. Chief McManus says Perez was cutting the wires to a fire alarm system during what was described as a mental crisis.

Police body cam video now released shows officers walking up to Perez in the parking lot of the complex in the 6200 block of Old Pearsall Road. She was reportedly talking with the San Antonio Fire Department at the time officers arrived.

Footage also shows one officer going after Perez when she started to walk away when police approached. Perez made it back to her apartment complex and locked her door, at which point officers tried to get her to come out.

Three officers are then seen walking up to the balcony of Perez’ apartment before one climbs the railing and walks up to the door.

McManus says police tried to talk to Perez through an open window, and she can be heard saying, “you ain’t got no warrant.”

Body cam footage shows officers then moving onto the balcony, one of them removing a screen from a window.

Police say Perez threw a candle at officers before later grabbing a hammer from inside the unit and swinging it. Investigators say at one point she broke a window after hitting it with the hammer.

Later more shots were fired and that is when Perez was was hit at least twice, according to Chief McManus.

Perez died at the scene.

The three officers now under arrest are Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos. Flores was a 14-year-veteran of the department while Alejandro and Villalobos had 5 years and 2 years of service, respectively.

Chief McManus says the arrests were made after the incident was reviewed by his department as well as the Bexar County District Attorney’s Civil Rights Division.

Each of the officers were charged with murder as additional investigations continue via the SAPD Internal Affairs and Homicide Unit and the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Division.

This is a developing story and more details will be given when possible.