Three San Antonio police officers were charged with murder following a fatal shooting Friday of a Texas woman reportedly experiencing a “mental health crisis,” according to CBS News.
Sgt. Alfred Flores and Officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos were reportedly suspended without pay and later arrested on murder charges stemming from the death of Melissa Perez, 46, a resident of San Antonio, according to CBS News.
The police were called to the scene when Perez was suspected of cutting fire alarm wires at her apartment complex. Police involvement escalated when she reportedly failed to comply with orders to come out of her apartment.
A YouTube video showing the three officers’ body cam footage of the incident reveals one of the officers opened fire after Perez allegedly threw a candlestick and swung a hammer at them. Following two rounds of gunshots, Perez was later pronounced dead at the scene, per the video.
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“The officers’ actions were not consistent with SAPD’s policy and training,” San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said in a news conference Friday, according to the report.
“They placed themselves in a situation where they used deadly force which was not reasonable given all the circumstances as we now understand them,” McManus added. (RELATED: Video Shows Moments Leading Up To Police Shooting Of Machete-Wielding Man Who Allegedly Held Woman Hostage).
The ongoing investigation will also scrutinize other officers present at the scene, though no additional charges are expected to be filed. The three charged officers — who have served in the SAPD for periods ranging from two to 14 years — have been out of jail on $100,000 bonds each since Saturday, according to KENS 5.