The officer was reportedly arrested by University of Texas at San Antonio police. Credit: Shutterstock / Schmidt_Alex

The San Antonio Police Department fired an officer for his failure to pat down a 19-year-old suspect who shot and killed himself last year at the Bexar County Jail, KSAT reports.

Officer Abdiel Munoz lost his job July 29 following an internal affairs probe, according to the TV station. Investigators found that Munoz neglected his duty and demonstrated acts of incompetency, disciplinary records cited in the story state.

SAPD launched its investigation after teen suspect Jesus Gonzales drew a pistol hidden in his clothing while being searched by a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy at the jail. Gonzales fatally shot himself in the March 3 incident.
Body-cam footage obtained by KSAT shows Munoz and other officers didn’t search Gonzales after taking him into custody while serving a felony warrant at the restaurant where he worked, according to the station.

Earlier this year, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar voiced his anger about the Gonzales’ death, saying there should never be a situation where a suspect makes it into the jail with a firearm, KSAT reports.

According to the station, the Sheriff’s Office hasn’t said whether any of its own personnel faced disciplinary action over the fatal shooting.

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Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...