SAN ANTONIO – As Officer Ernesto Vasquez’s body was transported out of the funeral home, dozens of fellow officers gathered outside to honor him.
They had his back, just like Officer Frank Tapia did.
Tapia was a classmate from the academy. He said Vasquez had had everyone's back.
"In the cadet class, I can remember we went through the gas chamber, and he's been through it in the military, and that was the first time I'm going through it," Tapia recalled. "He told me, 'Don't worry. I've got your back.’”
Vasquez spent more than seven months in a coma after being hit by a car while attempting to walk across the 12600 block of Blanco Road on New Year's Eve. He was assigned to north patrol but was off duty at the time. He died July 17.
Police said his common-law wife, Diana Lopez, was the one behind the wheel. She is currently charged with failure to stop and render aid.
District Attorney Nico LaHood said that charge will "absolutely be upgraded," and he will review the case with the lead prosecutor to determine the appropriate charge.
Tapia said he and Vasquez kept in touch sporadically while they were on the force. He remembers the father of three as a humble family man.
In the academy, Tapia said, "He was a hard charger, kind of quiet, kept to himself. He watched, you know, looked around, and then he joined in."
But that quiet guy who sat next to Tapia in the academy also helped push him during training.
"I was one of the older ones in the cadet class, and he was one of the younger ones," Tapia said. "He kept me going."
Vasquez, who had previously served two tours in Iraq before the academy, kept going for eight years on the police department. As his fellow officers escorted his casket, it was clear he and his service would not be forgotten.
"He's a hero," Tapia said. "You know, just a hero — from the military to the police department."
Vasquez, a Marine veteran, was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with military honors.