Suspect shot by SAPD officer had prior run-ins with police

Taras Kerr, 48, shot 3 times after attacking people with metal baton, police say

SAN ANTONIO – A man who was shot and wounded during a weekend confrontation with a San Antonio police officer had previous run-ins with police in Texas.

Police identified the suspect Monday as Taras Kerr, 48, who was shot three times Saturday night by probationary Officer Garry Fry.

As of Monday morning, Kerr remained at University Hospital where he was taken for treatment of gunshot wounds to the thigh and upper body..

A preliminary police report said Kerr had been attacking people with a club or a bat at a Walmart in the 8500 block of Jones Maltsberger Road.

"He assaulted at least two people that we know of," Police Chief William McManus told reporters after the shooting. "I don't know the extent of their injuries, if there were any."

The report said Fry responded to the call for help and confronted Kerr, who is homeless, in a nearby ditch.

Kerr had a knife and metal baton in his hands at the time, the report said.

McManus said despite the potential threat, Fry tried at first to resolve the issue in a nonlethal manner.

"He deployed his Taser. It did not function properly or did not have an effect," McManus said. "So (Fry) resorted to his firearm."

Records show this is not the first violent run-in that Kerr has had with law enforcement officers.

He also was also arrested in 2003 for assault on a public servant.

Kerr's criminal record, which dates back to at least 1992, includes arrests in San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin and Kerrville. His arrests for various crimes, from theft and burglary to resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated.  

Kerr now faces charges related to aggravated assault on the police officer and the public. 

Police said Fry, who has been with the department about 10 months, was working alone at the time.

According to the San Antonio Police Department public information office, departmental policy dictates that new officers must work with a field training officer for the first three months in the field. 

After that, they're able to work alone.


About the Author:

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.