SAN ANTONIO – Several members of the law enforcement community and other local leaders have expressed words of thanks in the wake of the shooting of a Bexar County deputy constable who was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The deputy constable, identified as Darrell Ward, is assigned to the office of Precinct 4 Constable Kathryn “Kat” Brown.
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Ward was among a team who executed a court-ordered Writ of Possession, or eviction, Tuesday afternoon at an apartment complex on Gembler Road, just a few blocks from the Frost Bank Center.
According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a tenant inside that apartment opened fire on them, with a bullet striking Ward’s bulletproof vest.
“We’re extremely thankful that that deputy was wearing that vest and that he was able to save his life and keep him safe,” Salazar told KSAT 12 News on Wednesday.
Brown, who was unavailable for an interview, emailed a statement offering more details of the violent encounter.
According to the statement, the suspect, whose name has not been released officially, began firing at a team of deputies immediately after they forced their way into his apartment.
Ward was hit in the chest but spared from serious injury by the vest, the statement said.
Brown also expressed her appreciation for her deputies’ professionalism during the incident, and offered words of gratitude for all of the other agencies that came to their aid.
Additionally, she shared photos with KSAT 12 News of the scene. One shows Ward examining the bulletproof vest that saved his life.
Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark took to social media to offer prayers for Ward and Brown’s entire staff.
Meanwhile, residents of the apartment complex were still dealing with the shock of it all on Wednesday morning.
Cindy Avalos lives one floor below the apartment where the standoff played out.
Avalos said she had suspected something was wrong in the suspect’s home long before the first officers arrived.
Throughout Tuesday morning, she said she heard the suspect “moving things, dragging things,” as if he was rearranging furniture.
Hours later, she heard the sound of gunshots and then immediately drove out of and away from the apartment complex.
It was only when Avalos watched the news that she learned the full story of how her neighbor’s eviction escalated.
“We thought that was a bit extreme (for him) to do that,” Avalos said.
She said she is still trying to process all that went on so close to her home. Forgetting it won’t be easy.
As a result of the standoff, the apartment upstairs from Avalos was left with a busted door, broken windows and bullet holes in the walls.
The Deputy Constables Association of Bexar County, a union, issued a news release Wednesday on behalf of its members involved the standoff. It called for change in the wake of Ward’s shooting.
The union representing deputy constables said it plans to launch a proposed initiative in 2026.
The proposal calls for upgraded protective equipment, including upgraded body armor and body cameras; expanded training programs and increased public awareness of the role deputy constables play in community safety.
More coverage of this story on KSAT: