Body cam footage released of officer fatally shooting man after he threatened them
SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Police officials released body cam video on Wednesday of an officer shooting and killing a man that fit the description of a robbery suspect.
It turns out he was not the suspect after all.
WARNING: Some of you may find the video hard to watch.
The shooting happened just before 9 a.m. on Sept. 18 on West Martin Street near North Zarzamora Street on the West Side.
Two officers were investigating a call about someone robbing stores in the area. They were told the person responsible was seen near West Martin Street.
Officers spotted a man on a bicycle and approached him. The man refused to provide his name. He then resisted when one of the officers tried to arrest him. He then threatened the officers saying “I have a gun. I’m gonna shoot you” while reaching towards his waistband. That’s when the officer shot the suspect multiple times.
The suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Alejandro Vitela, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Investigators say he was not armed.
It was later determined Vitela was not the robbery suspect, but he was wanted on a family violence warrant.
The case is still being investigated by the Bexar County District Attorney's Office.
