Officer near retirement dies before training, Texas cops say. ‘He was a good officer’

UPDATE: A Texas police officer who died prior to a training exercise died by suicide, officials told news outlets.

Original story continues below:

A veteran police officer near retirement was fatally shot in a “tragic accident” outside an elementary school, Texas police told news outlets.

The officer, who police have not publicly identified, was preparing for a state-mandated ALERRT training when a pistol discharged, fatally shooting him, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said in a news briefing shared by KENS.

He had served in law enforcement for 30 years and was “getting ready to retire,” McManus said.

ALERRT training, or Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, is intended to prepare officers for active shooter situations, like school shootings.

Another officer heard a gunshot at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, went looking for the source and found the wounded officer on the ground near his pickup truck, according to McManus.

“The officer appeared to be gathering up his things to take into the building and a pistol went off,” he said, adding that the officer was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

“He was a good officer,” McManus said.

“It’s a sad day for SAPD right now. This officer was well respected. He was a fun guy. It’s just a sad day for us and everybody’s feeling it.”

The training was canceled for the day, McManus said.

Police were going to use a Harlandale Independent School District facility, which is no longer in use, for the training, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Officer near retirement dies before training, Texas cops say. ‘He was a good officer’."