SAN ANTONIO — Seven minutes elapsed between a traffic stop that ended in a shootout between a suspect and a deputy with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
Just before 4 p.m Friday, a BCSO deputy made a traffic stop on West Military near 1604. The suspect took off on foot through a wooded area and into the Blazing Star RV park at the 1100 block of W. Loop 1604 N.
According to Sheriff Javier Salazar, as the pursuit moved into the RV park, the suspect pulled a shotgun from his heavy winter coat and turned to face the deputy. He fired several slug bullets, as Salazar described the ammunition, at the deputy, who returned several shots. The two were in close proximity - about 20-25 feet apart - during the shootout.
The deputy's shots struck the suspect, a 35-year-old male, several times in the upper body and lower extremities. He was taken to a hospital via AirLife in critical condition. Salazar described the suspect as a "career criminal" who is currently out on bond on other charges.
The deputy has been with BCSO for seven years and on patrol for the last five. Salazar praised the deputy's "outstanding" work and made it clear he believed "the suspect intended to kill."
No civilians were harmed during the shootout, the sheriff told reporters; crime detectives remain on-scene to further investigate the incident.