Bexar County law enforcement have fatally shot more people so far in 2020 than 2019, data shows

More people have been shot and killed by law enforcement in Bexar County so far in 2020 than in 2019, according to data from the Texas Justice Initiative.

So far this year, the San Antonio Police Department, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the Balcones Heights Police Department and the Universal City Police Department have all reported a combined 19 officer-involved shootings, 11 of which were fatal. Compared to last year, local agencies reported a combined 20 shootings with 10 ending in fatalities.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Current data by the Texas Justice Initiative, shows 15 officer-involved shootings as of Sept. 1. Since then, SAPD has reported two and Balcone Heights one. BCSO was involved in a fatal shooting Aug. 25, but the incident was not reported to TJI until Sept. 7 and not included in the Sept. 1 data.

So far in 2020, SAPD has had 12 shootings, BCSO 3, Universal City 2 and Balcones Heights 1.

Since 2015, there have been a total of 91 shootings, 49 of them fatal in Bexar County.

According to TJI, 50 individuals who have been shot by police were Hispanic, 20 were white, 17 were Black and four were classified as other.

On Express-News: ‘I loved him a lot’: Family speaks out after West Side man shot, killed by San Antonio police

In the same time period, 16 peace officers in Bexar County have been shot by civilians. This year, two San Antonio police officers were shot in April, but both are expected to recover. Only two law enforcement officers in the area have been killed in the line of duty since 2015.

The latest fatal shooting was Tuesday, when SAPD officers shot and killed 44-year-old Victor Sanchez after he allegedly threatened police with a handgun during a confrontation at a West Side apartment.

For more information on TJI data, click here.

Leave a Reply