BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Officials have identified a man killed after deputies were forced to open fire when he brandished a weapon and ignored their commands as 55-year-old Jessee Bowers, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
The shooting happened Tuesday at a home on Gage Crossing as election results were rolling in, prompting Salazar to leave his campaign watch party to make the scene.
Man shot dead by Bexar County deputies on far West Side, officials say
“Some of us are still pretty stunned,” said Miguel Montalvo, who has lived at his home on Gage Crossing for 15 years.
Montalvo said the neighborhood is usually tranquil, but that wasn’t the case Tuesday night.
“We had a small gathering in our backyard last night for the election night, and then there was a barrage of gunfire,” Montalvo said.
Salazar said what Montalvo heard was an incident that escalated after deputies were called to the home across the street. Salazar said a young man called them to monitor an exchange of personal belongings between him and Bowers, his father.
Salazar said the situation immediately intensified once deputies arrived.
“The young man approached them and told him that he observed a weapon and that there was a lawn chair in the driveway,” Salazar said.
After deputies moved the young man out of harm’s way, Salazar said they discovered Bowers behaving strangely, crouched between two cars in the garage.
Salazar said Bowers stood up with a threatening posture and brandished a weapon.
“The suspect was shot several times there at the scene. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter,” Salazar said.
No one was at Bowers' house on Wednesday. Salazar said his deputies had only been called out there once before for a 911 hang-up call. More details are expected in this case as the investigation is just beginning.
As part of the Bexar County District Attorney’s new Civil Rights Unit, DA Joe Gonzales went to the scene after the shooting. He said the unit will regularly go to scenes, partly to help with any legal questions that may arise and gain transparency, but not to interfere in the investigation.
