Off-duty Universal City officer ‘feared for his life’ before shooting 2 teens, police say

Officer faced armed teens after interrupting car burglaries, police say

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – An off-duty Universal City police officer allegedly feared for his life before he shot and wounded two teenagers at an apartment complex on San Antonio’s North Side.

San Antonio police responded to the scene of the shooting, located in the 13400 block of Blanco Road, around 9:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Chief William McManus spoke to reporters, saying that the off-duty officer works for Universal City police and lives at the apartment complex.

He said the officer told investigators he confronted a group of teens who he caught breaking into cars in the parking lot.

Two teens shot by off-duty UCPD officer after they pointed a gun at him, police say

“At that point, they approached him,” McManus said. “The officer stated that they said, ‘Are you prepared to die?’ and pointed a gun at him.”

McManus said the officer pulled out his own gun and fired, hitting two of the five teens.

A preliminary report says the group also robbed the 28-year-old officer.

It says he fired his weapon nine times and that the suspects fired back.

Brian Sergeant, meanwhile, had just stepped out onto his patio nearby to enjoy the night air with his wife.

“Just walked out and sat down, and heard gunshots,” he said. “I’m figuring 10 to 12 (shots).”

Sergeant says he and his wife immediately hit the ground, fearing for their own safety.

“There was a lot of screaming and that’s what made me know it wasn’t a car backfiring,” Sergeant said.

Officers flooded into the apartment complex and found a 17-year-old suspect with a gunshot wound.

Within a few minutes, police had received a call about a shooting at another apartment complex about a mile down the road.

There, McManus said, they found the four other teens, including a 16-year-old boy who also had been shot.

McManus said none of the wounds were life threatening.

All five teens were taken into custody and are expected to face charges.

Thursday morning, crime scene investigators were back at the apartment complex where the shooting happened.

They used a metal detector to search for any missed evidence.

In the daylight, it was clear that at least one car had been hit twice by the gunfire.

Sergeant, who has lived there for 15 years, said he has never seen any trouble like this before, but he fears this just may be the beginning.

“I’m just thinking with the times we’re going through right now that it’s gonna get worse,” Sergeant said.


About the Authors:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Tim has been a photojournalist and video editor at KSAT since 1998. He came to San Antonio from Lubbock, where he worked in TV and earned his bachelor's degree in Electronic Media and Communication from Texas Tech University. Tim has won a handful of awards and has earned a master's in Strategic Communication and Innovation from Tech as well.