SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio police lieutenant fired last year after an internal affairs investigation determined he altered discipline records in the Melissa Perez shooting case has now been criminally charged, court records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Steven Velasquez, 54, turned himself in to a satellite court late Wednesday on a state jail felony charge of tampering with a government record, defraud/harm.
Velasquez accused of tampering with IA file on Perez case
Velasquez is accused of accessing SAPD’s internal affairs computer program and removing himself as an “involved employee” the night Perez was shot and killed by officers in June 2023.
Velasquez was indefinitely suspended by SAPD in late 2023, after an internal affairs investigation determined he and a sergeant left their assigned shifts early the night Perez was shot and killed inside her Southwest Side apartment.
The investigation determined Velasquez left work around 10:14 p.m., more than four hours before his shift was scheduled to end.
Velasquez failed to respond to the fatal police shooting scene, despite being the highest-ranking member assigned to the south patrol service area, his discipline paperwork states.
Sgt. Paul Rodriguez was suspended seven days after an internal affairs investigation determined he left his assigned shift 45 minutes early, around 1:44 a.m., the night Perez was shot and killed. Rodriguez was seen changing out of his SAPD uniform into civilian clothes and leaving the substation in his personal vehicle less than 20 minutes before Perez was shot, records indicate.
Velasquez received a second indefinite suspension in May 2024 after internal affairs investigators determined he altered internal affairs files related to the shooting case.
In late November 2023, Velasquez was forwarded an administrative review report instructing him to issue a chief of police disciplinary decision to an officer under the then-lieutenant’s command, records show.
The following day, Velasquez accessed the entry and “made unauthorized alterations and modifications” to it, discipline records show.
The modifications included Velasquez removing his name and the name of another supervisor from the entry altogether, records show.
The removal of their names deleted any record of their involvement in the internal affairs case, according to records.
Additionally, Velasquez modified the roles of one citizen, nine other officers, SAPD administration as well as improperly updating “snapshot data” of six officers in the entry, SAPD records show.
Velasquez’s attorney, Ben Sifuentes, proclaimed his client’s innocence Thursday, telling KSAT in a written statement: “Mr. Velasquez is innocent. While we have no burden of proof, the evidence will show that he did not commit an offense as alleged in the indictment.”
Asked about the indictment of Velasquez, an SAPD spokesman told KSAT via email Thursday, “We are aware of the arrest but have nothing further to add beyond what’s already public.”
Velasquez was released from jail early Thursday morning after posting a $7,500 bond, jail records show.
No date has been set for his arraignment.
Latest on criminal cases of 3 SAPD officers charged in Perez’s death
Perez, 46, was experiencing a mental health crisis and had a hammer in her hand when police shot her through a patio window and door, SAPD officials previously said.
Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos were quickly charged with murder in connection to Perez’s death.
In late 2023, Alejandro and Flores were indicted for murder, while Villalobos was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault by a public servant.
The officers are tentatively scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 8, court records show.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
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