SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Park Police officer who is being hailed as a hero after stopping an active shooter at the San Antonio International Airport has been identified as Officer John Maines, 41, an 11-year veteran of the park police.
Maines was working overtime at the airport when the incident began around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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Officials said the suspect drove the wrong way into the airport terminal from the exit.
Maines heard another officer warning about the wrong-way driver and immediately began walking toward the suspect’s vehicle, according to police. He saw the suspect stop in front of Terminal B and get out of his vehicle.
The suspect began shooting a handgun in the direction of Officer Maines, numerous bystanders and passing vehicles in the terminal, police said.
Officer Maines returned fire and struck the suspect two times. The suspect was taken to an area hospital after the incident and was pronounced dead.
During an autopsy, the Medical Examiner also found that the suspect’s fatal wound was self-inflicted.
Officials said based on evidence at the scene, the suspect shot himself after being wounded by Officer Maines.
The investigation into the shooting is still ongoing and Officer Maines will be placed on administrative duty, according to SAPD.
Chief William McManus commended the officer’s quick response following Thursday’s incident and said he saved many lives.
“(The shooter) had a lot of ammunition and was shooting indiscriminately,” McManus said in a previous interview. “We’re lucky today not to have a lot of people injured or killed during this event.”
The suspect’s identity has not yet been released.