SAN ANTONIO – Seven San Antonio police officers were shot a week ago while responding to a suicide in progress call at an apartment complex in Stone Oak, according to police.
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 in the 18700 block of Stone Oak Parkway.
The last remaining officer hospitalized after the shooting has officially been released, the department shared on Wednesday. All of the officers wounded are expected to make a full recovery.
>>>> SAPD identifies suspect accused of shooting 7 officers in Stone Oak; 6 released from hospital
SAPD Chief William McManus shared new details about what led to the gunfire on Wednesday during a District 8 community meeting.
Upon arrival, officers found Brandon Poulos, 46, not at the initially reported location. Poulos hid in a breezeway and opened fire on officers as they approached, McManus said.
“He opened fire, and he hit the first officer in the leg. We’ve got three other officers there that are trying to rescue him, and then he opens up with a shotgun, and they all get hit with the shotgun pellets,” said Chief McManus, adding that three other officers, seven in total, were also hit as they tried to get all officers to safety.
“SWAT did its job and neutralized that individual, who, in my opinion, should have been in jail, to begin with,” McManus said.
Poulos did have a criminal history, including assault charges less than a week before the shooting, authorities said.
>>>> What we know about Brandon Poulos, the man accused of shooting 7 SAPD officers in Stone Oak
KSAT contacted the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office on Jan. 23, the day after the shooting in Stone Oak.
In a statement, the DA’s office explained that under Texas law, a person is entitled to bond unless specific circumstances prevent it.
“The District Attorney’s Office cannot prevent the release of a person in custody requesting a bond except for very limited circumstances that were not present here,” the statement read.
Bexar County District Attorney’s full statement:
Under Texas Law, a person is entitled to be released on bond unless circumstances exist that prevent that person’s release. It is the duty of the Magistrate Judge to set a bond for the defendant appearing before the Magistrate. The District Attorney’s Office cannot prevent the release of a person in custody requesting a bond except for very limited circumstances that were not present here.
On the day Mr. Poulos was magistrated, there was no violation of a protective order filed so Bexar County could not hold him on that charge. Our information indicates he was not served with a Comal Couty protective order until the same day of January 19th, while he was in custody in Bexar County. It appears that he did not violate the protective order until after his release, which triggered the filing of a new case by Comal County.
