A federal jury awarded a local man $63,000 after determining that a San Antonio police officer used excessive force when he fired three shots during a confrontation, MySanAntonio reports.
On Friday, the jury found that former SAPD officer Ernesto Juarez overstepped his bounds by firing his weapon, although it rejected claims Juarez and another officer wrongfully arrested Peter T. Conner, a national security consultant, according to the story.
Citing testimony and court records, MySA reports that SAPD came to the exclusive Dominion neighborhood on June 16, 2013 after a security call about a pickup truck that damaged a security barrier. Security personnel told police the truck was driven to Conner’s house.
Conner spotted police, assumed they were trespassers and ordered them to leave, according to the report. The officers said Conner — who maintains he was unarmed — appeared to point a gun at them, at which time Juarez fired his weapon. All three shots missed.
Clay Snell, the plaintiff’s attorney, told MySA the bill could top $100,000 after factoring in attorney’s fees and expenses. The city of San Antonio was dismissed as a defendant prior to the trial.
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This article appears in Jun 5-18, 2019.
