ACT 4 SA Responds to String of Officer-Involved Shootings

SAN ANTONIO, TX – The ACT 4 SA community is heartbroken and outraged that San Antonio has seen three officer-involved shootings in just 17 days. The most recent incident involved a teenager in the midst of a mental health crisis. This was someone who needed care, compassion, and support, not weapons drawn against him.

Time and again, we see that police officers are not equipped to de-escalate moments of crisis. The presence of a badge, or the deployment of tasers and guns, does not calm or resolve these situations, but instead escalates them, leaving individuals and families traumatized and our entire community less safe.

San Antonio must take a hard look at the systemic failures in mental health crisis care and policing. We are aware of multiple instances where community members did not feel safe enough to even call SA CORE for help for themselves or a loved one out of fear that the presence of an officer would lead to arrest, injury, or death. Even worse, SA CORE often does not have enough units available to respond, meaning armed officers are dispatched to crises that require care, not force.

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. In 2020 and 2021, thousands in our community demanded accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform. What little reforms were won are already proving insufficient, and every day legislators and police lobbyists are working to roll back even those modest gains. We cannot look away. We must once again raise our voices, organize, and demand change before more lives are lost.

Bexar County is on its way to once again having the second-highest number of officer-involved shootings in Texas this year, and Bexar County Jail continues to see alarming numbers of custodial deaths. This should be a wake-up call to all of us: reforms are not working, police are not the solution to mental health crises, nor are they the only answer to public safety in our community. Public safety includes housing, food access, strong infrastructure, affordable and accessible healthcare, and so much more. Our community deserves better- period.

If you or someone you know in Bexar County has lost a loved one or been harmed due to police violence, please reach out to ACT 4 SA. We can connect you with resources, support, and community. No one should have to carry this pain alone.