San Antonio Police release video of south-side shootout between officers and suspect
Before the suspect died, police say he came to the home off Clutter Avenue and killed 49-year-old Bobby Borrego.
Chapter 1 'He pointed it at us, man'
The San Antonio Police Department released body camera footage from a shootout between San Antonio Police and a man suspected of killing another man.
In the video, one officer who responded to a residence in the 400 block of Clutter on April 20 is seen being led to a shed behind the home, where the suspect was armed. One officer is heard pleading with the man to drop the gun. After several minutes, the officer takes cover behind an SUV in the backyard.
Another officer arrives to the backyard and joins the first officer behind the vehicle. Both officers continue to ask the suspect to drop his weapon.
According to SAPD, at this point, the second officer sees the man pointing his gun towards him. She fires her gun; SAPD says it's unclear whether her shots hit the suspect.
Warning: The video below depicts a graphic incident that may be unsuitable for some viewers.
The standoff between the officers and the suspect continues for several more minutes, during which police say the suspect admits to shooting and killing another man.
A third officer at the scene begins to move the family out of the house. Officers ask the man to put his hands up and drop the weapon. Eventually, gunfire is exchanged. It's unclear who shot first, but several dozen shots were fired during the exchange. SAPD said the suspect fired several rounds at the officers. The suspect was hit, but officers said they could see him still moving and reaching for his gun, so they continued to fire. Once they determined the suspect was no longer moving, officers moved in. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Chapter 2 "He killed my love"
KENS 5 previously obtained surveillance video of the incident. In the footage, gunfire can be heard being exchanged between San Antonio Police and a man who, according to authorities, officers killed along Clutter Avenue on the city's south side. The suspect had reportedly killed his friend minutes before, according to the victim's family.
That victim has been identified as Bobby Borrego. His girlfriend, Krystal Vela, was there when police killed the suspect, who has since been identified as Brian DeLeon.
"They kept telling him to put the gun down," she said. "But he wouldn't do it. They shot again, (yelled), 'Put the gun down.'"
Before the suspect died, police say he came to the home off Clutter Avenue and killed 49-year-old Borrego. Vela said the suspect was Borrego's friend, but she doesn't know why the suspect shot and killed her boyfriend in their backyard.
She said she confronted him multiple times.
"I go, 'Where is Bobby at?'" she said. "And I ran into the shed. I know something was wrong. He said, 'You don't want to go in there.'"
Vela said she found her boyfriend dead in the shed. The suspect had spray-painted Borrego's face and some of their cars with strange messages like, "Who's next?"
"That's when I ran out the shed and he pointed a gun to me, and when he pointed a gun I kind of ducked," she said. "I remember just thinking, 'I am going to kill him. He killed my love. He killed him. He is going to hurt me. He is going to hurt my kids.'"
Vela showed KENS 5 surveillance video in which she can be observed running back out with her gun, shooting at the suspect, though she didn't hit him.
Minutes later police arrived, and officers would end up killing him.
"Some people just don't deserve to walk away from killing somebody else," she said. "I didn't want to see anyone walk out in handcuffs, because that's not what I deserve and that's not what Bobby deserves."
Chapter 3 Changes in policy
This year, San Antonio City Council enacted a new protocol for the release of video from "critical incidents," including police shootings and use of force that result in serious injury or death. According to the policy, SAPD has 60 days from the date of the incident to release audio and video recordings.
Efforts to pass the new policy began following a 2020 letter from Mayor Ron Nirenberg requesting "a complete review of our police department body worn camera policies by the full city council." Earlier that year, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff raised the alarm for what he said was much-needed reform when it comes to how law enforcement handles certain situations.
Across Texas, HB1036 requires that all law enforcement agencies report “certain injuries or deaths caused by peace officers and for certain injuries or deaths of peace officers,” to the Attorney General’s Office. It also requires the Attorney General release an annual report with a summary of statewide data involving officer-involved shootings.
The bill filed by Texas Representative Eric Johnson – who is now the current mayor of Dallas – went into effect in September of 2015. Information collected includes the date and location of the incident, the gender, age, and race or ethnicity of all individuals involved. It also requires departments to include whether the individual involved “used, exhibited, or was carrying a deadly weapon.”
This shooting marked the eighth shooting, as of June 18, involving a San Antonio Police Department officer firing their weapon at a suspect in 2021. Two other incidents involved non-SAPD officers.
- Jan. 2: A San Antonio police officer shot at two men who pointed a gun at him on the southeast side.
- January 27: Four police officers shot and killed a man at South Park Mall after police said he fled a traffic stop.
- February 20: SAISD officer Manuel Espinoza was working off-duty as a security guard at Walmart when he shot a man who pulled a gun, police say.
- February 26: A man was killed by San Antonio Police officers responding to the scene of a shooting on the east side Friday night,
- March 26: A San Antonio police officer shot and killed a man whom officers said was threatening his wife and family.
- April 15: A San Antonio Park Police officer shot and injured a man who opened fire at the San Antonio Airport. The shooter took his own life moments later.
- April 16: Two men were killed by a police officer who returned fire after being shot in the hand when a traffic stop turned violent on the city's west side.
- April 20: Officers shot and killed a man who had reportedly killed his friend minutes before on the city's south side.
- June 3: A man was shot and killed after he walked toward police with a knife, officials said.
Since 2016, 85 shootings where an SAPD officer discharged a weapon have occurred in the Alamo City.