SAN ANTONIO – A guest at the Southwest Side motel where a 44-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday night by San Antonio police said the man had been acting strangely in the hours before the shooting.
"He just seemed kind of fidgety, kind of antsy and stuff," Brian Petty said. "But he seemed like a good guy. He seemed like he wanted to go to work."
Petty said he spoke briefly about the possibility of working with the man, whom he believes was shot and killed later during a fight with officers. Petty slept through the late-night commotion, learning what had happened only after he woke up.
"It's spooky," he said. "God bless him, whoever he was."
As of 10:30 a.m. Friday, the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office had not identified the man who was killed.
San Antonio police said their investigation is in its early stages. Police Chief William McManus said the victim was a wanted man who wasn't willing to be arrested.
"He fought them. They (used a Taser on) him. It had no effect," McManus said. "During the fight, he was able to pull one of the officer's guns from his belt."
McManus said a 23-year-veteran sergeant and an officer who has been with SAPD for about 10 years both fired their guns at the man. He died on the way to a hospital.
The violence brought numerous patrol cars to the scene. The incident began as an undercover operation in which detectives had gone to the motel to look for the man whom they ultimately shot.
"He had warrants, both felony and misdemeanor warrants," McManus said.
Before the undercover officers were able to pursue his arrest, they had to respond to an unrelated fight nearby. One man suffered a gunshot wound to his arm in a separate incident in another part of the same motel's parking lot.
While the officers were investigating that, McManus said the wanted man emerged from a room. According to other motel guests, he was sitting inside a vehicle when police approached him, got him out and attempted to arrest him.
The officers involved in the shooting, Sgt. Anastacio Hernandez and Officer Mario Moreno, were placed on administrative duty until the investigation is complete.
Hernandez is a 23-year veteran of SAPD, while Moreno has been with the department for a decade.