SAN ANTONIO – A 34-year-old man who was hospitalized after a shootout with San Antonio police officers on the East Side has died.
San Antonio police said the suspect, Paul Palafox, was pronounced dead at 6:20 a.m. on Friday at Brooke Army Medical Center.
The incident started with a shooting that happened near a carwash on Essex and Hackberry streets around 4:12 p.m. on Tuesday.
A 66-year-old man who police say was shot by Palafox helped guide officers to Palafox’s home on South Mesquite Street.
When police arrived, Palafox got between two vehicles with open doors and fired 26 rounds with an AR-15 toward the officers, according to SAPD Chief William McManus.
Officers then returned fire and after an exchange of bullets, Palafox was struck and injured, officials said.
The department has since released the names of the officers involved in the shooting. They are as follows:
- Officer Christian Valadez, #470
- Officer Luis Torres, #1512
- Detective Regino Segura, #2263
- Detective James Van Kirk #2743
The officers have between four and 20 years of service with the department and will be placed on administrative duty until further notice as part of SAPD’s policy.
A neighbor who witnessed the shootout unfold in her front yard said she saw the suspect with the gun.
“I saw him across the street with a gun. He started shooting in the air, whirling it around,” Deci Allen said. “Cops were here in no time they showed up in masses.”
No officers or bystanders in the area were injured in the shooting.
The SAPD Shooting Team and the Internal Affairs Unit are conducting separate investigations into the shooting.