San Antonio, TX – A San Antonio Park Police officer on an overtime detail fatally shot an active shooter Thursday, just as the gunman began his attack at the San Antonio Airport.
The incident happened at around 2:30 p.m. when a man drove into the airport terminal going the wrong way, according to KSAT.
An unidentified park police officer was working an overtime detail at the terminal and he went to confront the driver.
The driver then exited his vehicle and opened fire on the officer and the airport terminal.
The officer responded by shooting the suspect.
The suspect was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
One person was injured by possible shrapnel, and another person was injured by being trampled as people fled.
The officer was not injured.
“The officer who stopped this saved a lot of lives,” San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said, according to KIII. “This guy had a full box of ammunition, he had a .45-caliber handgun he was shooting at the direction of the terminal, at the police officer and behind him. We were very lucky not to have a lot of people injured or killed.”
Police believe that the shooter had opened fire from the Highway 281/Loop 1604 overpass earlier in the day.
The suspect’s description and the shell casings from both shootings matched.
There is a confirmed officer-involved shooting at 9800 Airport Blvd. There is no active threat to the public. As a precaution, the Airport has been put on lock down. No other injuries are reported.
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) April 15, 2021
Just had to evacuate from San Antonio airport bc of an active shooter inside. Heart is still racing, but glad to be safe for the moment.
— Sanjay Kirpalani (@SanjayKirpalani) April 15, 2021
Make sure you tell your loved ones that you love them. 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/3ULSp2yWkE
Chief McManus said that the suspect was familiar with law enforcement due to his history of “mental issues.”
Sandy Malone
Holly Matkin
