SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department has released the names of a woman who was fatally shot by police over the weekend, as well as the name of the officer who shot her.
Janet Silva, 51, was shot and killed by SAPD Officer Cory Russell, a 3-year veteran of the force, officials confirmed.
The shooting is under investigation by the SAPD Shooting Team and the Internal Affairs Unit. Their findings will be forwarded to the Bexar County District Attorney’s office for an independent review, SAPD officials said.
Silva was shot on Saturday evening when officers were called out to a home in the 400 block of Delmar for reports of a woman who was armed with a knife.
A man at the home told police he was inside with his roommate when Silva -- his on-again, off-again girlfriend -- stopped by.
The men told officers Silva was agitated and aggressive, and they suspected she was under the influence of drugs.
The woman began assaulting her boyfriend and then retrieved an assault rifle from inside the home.
The men were able to disarm Silva and forced her out of the back door. That’s when she pulled out a locked knife and started stabbing at the door, police said.
When officers arrived, they confronted Silva and told her to drop the knife. Russell, who was one of three officers on the scene, deployed his Taser weapon, but it was not effective, police said.
Russell then shot Silva multiple times. She died at the scene.
The SAPD spokesperson said body-worn cameras and some additional video from surveillance cameras captured the incident and will be examined during the investigation.
The woman’s boyfriend suffered some superficial injuries but declined treatment. Nobody else was injured.
View original story from May 21, 2022: