SAN ANTONIO – The armed man who was fatally shot by four San Antonio police officers outside South Park Mall on Wednesday has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Erick Mejia, 26, was shot multiple times around 11:30 a.m. and died at the scene, according to authorities.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the man was driving an 18-wheeler on the northbound access road of Interstate 35 northeast of South Zarzamora Street when an officer assigned with inspecting big rigs pulled him over.
After the driver stopped under the I-35 overpass, he fled on foot and ran into South Park Mall before security kicked him out, police said.
Mejia, who was armed, exited behind the Dick’s Sporting Goods and encountered officers. Police said he tried to re-enter the mall via a pair of secured doors but was unable to get in.
A video captured by a witness shows an SAPD officer point his service weapon at the armed man, who police say refused to drop his gun as he walked in the parking lot.
Four police officers opened fire on Mejia, striking him multiple times, after he raised his gun toward them, McManus said.
The four officers are veterans ranging from 10 years of experience to 26 years of experience, McManus said.
The chief confirmed the man had a gun in his possession. McManus stressed that details about the incident may change when investigators review the officers’ body camera footage.
Under a newly changed police department policy, the department will release footage of the fatal police shooting within 60 days of the incident.
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