Officer Alfred Flores joined the San Antonio Police Department on September 8, 2008. He decided to become a San Antonio Police Officer as a result of a passion for the community on the south side of San Antonio, where he was born and raised. Officer Flores spent nearly 15 years of his career on patrol on the south side of San Antonio as an Officer, Detective, and Sergeant. After all of his years of service and multiple commendations from local citizens and churches alike, his career ended prematurely after he was unjustly charged with murder by Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales.
On June 23, 2023, Officer Flores was called to the home after the local fire department called the police department and requested assistance in neutralizing an individual that was behaving erratically and was potentially dangerous. The individual, Melissa Perez, was having a mental health break and was suffering from a schizophrenic episode. The Officers attempted to make an arrest of the individual for committing a felony and resisting arrest.
But when the officers attempted to detain the individual, she ran from them and barricaded herself inside her home. Officers tried multiple times to enter the home but she repelled them. She threw a candlestick, striking one officer. The suspect, once barricaded inside, yelled “Shoot me!” to the officers.
Several Officers at the scene advised Officer Flores that the suspect had a hammer in her hand and was making threats. He was also advised by the other Officers that they had observed an elderly, bed-ridden individual inside the same apartment as the suspect. Officer Flores immediately acted with a strong sense of urgency, knowing that the suspect had demonstrated violence, committed two felonies, and
resisted arrest. There was also deep concerned for the safety of the elderly bed-ridden individual inside the same apartment with the suspect. It was uncertain if the suspect was attempting to set the apartment building on fire, but seemed likely given that the air conditioning vents inside her apartment covered with what appeared as cardboard. It was apparent that the suspect took several measures to
make sure that the fire alarms would not go off in the case of a fire.
The suspect was uncooperative and refused to exit her apartment, even after Officers spent more than 20 minutes communicating with her that she was under arrest and needed to exit her apartment. The suspect continued to yell and threaten the Officers. After continuing attempted negotiations with the suspect in which no progress was made, a plan of action was coordinated to ensure the safety of the elderly individual in the building and the officers on the scene.
Officers had managed to unlock the rear patio door prior to Officer Flores’ arrival. Flores assigned the Officers with non lethal weapons that included a taser and a bean bag long gun in case the suspect threatened Officers with the hammer. The plan of action was to go inside through the unlocked rear patio
door with the assigned non lethal taser Officer directly in front of Officer Flores. The group of Officers
then climbed over the patio gate and into the rear patio. The suspect rushed toward the open window with the claw hammer raised in the air while Flores was climbing over the patio gate with his back to the suspect.
Shots were then fired by a fellow Officer in the direction of the suspect, but the suspect was not struck. Officer Alfred Flores immediately moved away from the sound of gunshots and, with his back to the wall, was cornered inside a very small patio. The suspect then ran in his direction with the hammer raised in the air toward the open window and glass door, where Flores and his team were boxed in with their backs to the wall.
The suspect rushed at the Officers with a hammer when Officer Flores shot in the direction of the suspect, knowing he was not in a position to create distance from the threat. He was in fear for his life as well as his fellow officers as the suspect attempted to attack him. He made a split second decision to use deadly force knowing that there was no way to create space or protect himself or his team otherwise.
After the incident, Officer Flores was placed under arrest along with two fellow Officers that were also on the scene and charged with murder. The first-degree murder charges carry sentences of up to life in prison.
