A 10-year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department accidentally shot himself during a foot chase where officers fatally shot a suspect in a Home Depot parking lot on Wednesday.
The detective has been identified as John Helle and the man who died has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office as 21-year-old Victor Fernandes.
San Antonio police have said they were tracking two vehicle burglary suspects, including Fernandes, on Wednesday when officers followed the suspects to the Home Depot in the 600 block of SW Loop 410 around 9:40 p.m.
A preliminary report stated officers positioned their patrol vehicles in the Home Depot parking lot in a way that would deter Fernandes and the other suspect from fleeing.
SAPD Chief William McManus said the driver of the suspect vehicle, identified as Fernandes, then got out of the car and ran.
The officers attempted to stop Fernandes as he pulled out a gun and continued running, police said.
That’s when a plainclothes detective and a uniformed officer both fired shots at the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
During the incident, police said the detective sustained a gunshot wound to his torso and that he was taken to the hospital in stable condition. SAPD didn’t reveal that the detective had shot himself until two days after the shooting and did not specify whether Helle shot himself before or after the suspect was shot and killed.
Helle continues to recover at a hospital, SAPD said on Friday.
Bexar County court records show Fernandes was on probation through May 2024 for burglary of vehicles and criminal mischief at the time of his death.
Records also show Fernandes has previous charges for drug possession and having a fictitious ID.
The shooting on Wednesday marked the fifth SAPD officer to be injured by gunfire in less than a week.
An eight-year veteran officer assigned to the Street Crimes Unit was shot on an East Side highway Wednesday and three officers were shot in a standoff on Aug. 24.
Editor’s note: The video attached to this article is from a previous report.