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San Antonio officer shot and killed while investigating vehicle break-in

Posted at 1:46 PM, Jun 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-30 13:46:43-04

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A police officer in San Antonio died Friday of wounds suffered when he and his partner were shot by a man they intended to question about a vehicle break-in, police said.

Officer Miguel Moreno, a nine-year veteran of the police force, was shot in the head during the encounter with the man Thursday.

The gunman fired on Moreno and partner Julio Cavazos as they stepped out of their patrol car. Police have not released the name of the gunman. Cavazos also was shot but returned fire and attempted to pull Moreno out of the line of fire.

Cavazos underwent surgery and is expected to recover, police Chief William McManus said during a news conference earlier Friday.

The gunman died in the shootout.

The officers were patrolling north of downtown when they decided to question two men because they were near the vehicle that had been broken into, McManus said. He said the officers didn’t consider the men suspects.

“I’m at a loss to describe what a tragedy this is,” McManus said.

The gunman was shot in the buttocks and as he attempted to flee. He suffered a head wound that may have been self-inflicted.

McManus said the second man was unaware that his companion would pull a weapon and is cooperating with investigators. He was arrested on outstanding municipal warrants but has since been released.