SAN ANTONIO – Words were the weapon of choice for San Antonio police officers who faced a man who was firing a gun in a Northwest Side neighborhood early Monday morning.
They say they were able to bring a peaceful ending to the tense situation, convincing the man to put down his weapon and come out of his home.
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Officers received the call about shots fired in the area of Silvertip Drive and White Tail Drive around 5:30 a.m.
At first, though, they had no idea where the shots were coming from or who might be firing them.
“(We) called for EAGLE to assist us overhead to see if they could see anyone shooting at us from the front or the back yard or anything,” said Sgt. Steven Ozuna with SAPD. “We couldn’t see anything at the time.”
Eventually, officers realized the gunshots were coming from a home in the 5200 block of Silvertip.
Ozuna said a man was holed up in his bedroom, firing through the glass window toward the street.
However, officers already had called for backup, just in case.
“Rifles and shields for our protection when we approached,” Ozzuna said. “We didn’t know what the situation was going to resolve to, how it would end.”
With the help of dispatchers, officers were able to talk the man into surrendering.
Ozuna said he appeared to be in the middle of a mental health crisis and was taken in for evaluation.
“He believed he was being attacked so he was shooting in self-defense,” he said.
Some of the gunfire found targets in the fence and pool of a home across the street.
At least one bullet traveled a half block away and tore a hole, through and through, in a parked car.
Fortunately, no people were hurt, just surprised and shaken by the news.