Know this now: Tragedy strikes San Antonio, police department

SAN ANTONIO – Get in the know, San Antonio, as we continue our team coverage of a tragic weekend in the Alamo City.

End of watch

Tragedy struck the San Antonio Police Department and our community. Detective Benjamin Marconi was shot and killed Sunday, just before noon, outside the Public Safety Headquarters while writing a traffic ticket. The shooter fired twice, hitting the detective twice in the head. He died a short time later at San Antonio Military Medical Center. Marconi was a 20-year veteran of the department and a father of two from Floresville.

Arrest made

The police have released an image of a person of interest they want to talk to about the slaying of Marconi. The shooter was described as a black man around 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet tall. He was wearing a gray shirt, black pants, Spurs hat and had a goatee. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $10,000 for information that leads to the identification and location of the man who shot Marconi. By late Sunday, the U.S. Marshal Service confirmed a person of interest had been arrested, but they would not confirm if it was the same man SAPD sought.

Why?

Police remained tight-lipped as to what led up to the shooting. Police Chief William McManus said they are investigating any and all leads to helps them find the gunman. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 that leads to the man’s arrest. While answers have been few, and probably won’t ever answer why – condolences have been pouring in from community and state leaders.

A select few

Detective Benjamin Marconi joined a somber brotherhood Sunday. He was the 54th officer killed in the line of duty while serving the citizens of San Antonio. The last officer killed in the line of duty was Robert Decker who was killed in December 2013.