SAN ANTONIO – A veteran San Antonio police detective served a 15-day suspension last fall for taking part in an unauthorized chase that ended in a fatal police shooting downtown, discipline records obtained Wednesday by KSAT Investigates show.
Det. Joseph Gorena was suspended for policy violations covering vehicle pursuits and the safe operation of vehicles.
Gorena was driving a covert vehicle on Feb. 6 when he encountered a stolen vehicle.
The detective pursued the car without activating emergency lights or sirens and assumed the lead position behind the fleeing vehicle, discipline records state.
Gorena disregarded four red lights during the pursuit, including at the intersection of W. Martin St. and N. Pecos La Trinidad, the records state.
After officers tried to eventually box the car in, SAPD officials said the driver headed toward officers standing outside their vehicles.
The officers then fired shots at the vehicle, police previously said.
The car continued down West Commerce Street, where it crashed into a building and burst into flames.
A video shared with KSAT showed the moments before the car caught fire. It showed SAPD officers breaking a window on the crashed car, removing two occupants and dragging them away from the wrecked vehicle.
The two teenagers in the vehicle: Nathaniel Moreno, 19, and Nicholas Rodriguez, 15, both died.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday confirmed both teens died of gunshot wounds.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.