After an hour and a half of deliberation, a jury on Monday acquitted all three police officers charged in connection with the shooting death of Melissa Perez, reports KSAT.
The weeks-long trial marked the first time that a San Antonio police officer had been tried with murder stemming from an on-duty shooting, according to the Express-News.
Former Sgt. Alfred Flores and former officer Eleazar Alejandro were charged and acquitted on charges of murder, aggravated assault, and deadly conduct. Meanwhile, former officer Nathaniel Villalobos was found not guilty of one count of aggravated assault and deadly conduct.
All three were there when Perez, who was unarmed and suffering a mental health crisis at her Southwest Side apartment on June 25, 2023, was shot and killed by responding police officers. Prosecutors said 16 shots were fired in total, with two striking 43-year-old Perez, according to KSAT.
The officers opened fire after Perez threw a candle at the officers from behind a sliding glass door at her apartment and rushed the officers with a hammer, as seen in body cam footage.
None of the three officers are still employed with SAPD, and police chief Bill McManus himself had previously said they violated department policy by shooting at Perez without sufficient cause.
Even so, the jury obviously disagreed.
“I think the case and evidence spoke for themselves,” defense attorney Nico LaHood, who represented Villalobos in the trial, told the Express-News. “The state had no expert witnesses, and their theory kept shifting throughout the trial. We are just grateful that the jury saw it.”
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