SAN ANTONIO – Video surveillance footage of a fatal officer-involved shooting obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders appears to contradict the San Antonio police chief’s claims about what led up to the moment law enforcement officers opened fire on the suspect.
On Jan. 13, police and federal law enforcement agents were attempting to arrest Randall Goodale at a home in the 4400 block of Stetson View on a federal felony warrant for felon in possession of a handgun, SAPD Chief William McManus previously said on the day of the incident.
McManus told media in a two-minute briefing at the scene that officers opened fire after Goodale “started ramming into occupied police vehicles.” He said Goodale, 45, was shot and killed by one SAPD officer and one federal law enforcement agent.
When asked by a reporter at the scene why police officers opened fire, McManus doubled down: “Well, he was ramming the cars, for one. And there were officers in the vehicles whose lives were being threatened by that."
Police have not said whether Goodale was armed and have not yet responded to requests for information beyond a written statement and McManus’ briefing at the scene. “This investigation is far from over,” McManus cautioned shortly after the shooting.
But McManus’ claim that Goodale was killed while ramming occupied police vehicles appears to be contradicted by home surveillance footage of the fatal incident obtained by KSAT. The footage appears to show that Goodale’s vehicle didn’t move until after the fatal shots were fired.
The roughly 2-minute video, filmed from above the garage, begins as multiple officers pull up in marked and unmarked vehicles to a house in a neighborhood that has a trailer and red pickup truck parked in the driveway. (Goodale is sitting in the driver’s seat but cannot be seen clearly in the video because the trailer blocks the camera’s view.)
As soon as officers block the driveway, several exit the vehicles and draw their guns. About 15 seconds after pointing their weapons, officers can be seen opening fire on the truck from multiple angles.
Shortly after officers finished shooting (police have not yet provided the number of shots fired), the truck slowly moves down the driveway and bumps into one of the parked, unmarked police vehicles, which appears to be unoccupied.
A plume of smoke rises from the truck’s rear tires, potentially a result of Goodale’s feet hitting the brake and accelerator after being shot.
The footage does not include audio of the shooting, and KSAT has muted the video to leave out comments of residents who were watching the footage. A white cursor arrow seen in the footage was part of the original video and was not added by KSAT.
In a statement released Wednesday, SAPD spokesperson Sgt. Michelle Ramos reiterated that the information McManus provided on the day of the shooting was preliminary. She also said videos “don’t always provide the full scope of an officer’s perception.”
The owner of the surveillance system and property where Goodale was shot and killed spoke to the Defenders via telephone Wednesday morning on the condition that he not be identified by name for fear of retribution.
He said Goodale was working on the truck when officers pulled up to the home, and that the footage provided to the Defenders shows their entire encounter.
He conceded that he and other people inside the home at the time of the shooting hid a recording of the incident out of fear that officers would destroy it.
During the briefing, McManus said police removed Goodale from his truck after the shooting and took him down the street before administering first aid, due to concerns that other people who could pose a threat to law enforcement were inside the home.
KSAT requested the police report and Goodale’s arrest warrant, but as of Wednesday, the documents were not provided.
Goodale has an extensive criminal history in Bexar County that spans back to 1995, when he was convicted of burglary of a habitation by force. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Goodale also has convictions for drug possession, stealing a vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted in federal court for identity theft, records show.
Goodale was most recently arrested in May by San Antonio police for a drug charge, which violated the terms of his parole in the federal identity theft case.
San Antonio police were cooperating with the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, comprised of deputy U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement, when serving the warrant.
The U.S. Marshals, which had agents on scene, declined to comment on the shooting and referred all questions to San Antonio police, the lead agency on Goodale’s case.
Since the shooting, San Antonio police officers have been removed from the federal task force, though SAPD officials did not provide a reason for the move.