He Pulled a Gun After Going Down on His Bike | SAPD Bodycam Breakdown

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Not every one of these is complicated. Some of them answer themselves, and the interesting part is somewhere other than the shooting.

July 16, 2:18 a.m., 800 block of Hammond Avenue in San Antonio.

San Antonio Police Department officers attempted to stop 52-year-old Andrew Davila Jr., who was riding a bicycle. He briefly stopped, ignored the commands he was given, and rode away. A description went out over the radio and additional officers responded.

A patrol unit caught up with him and made contact. He went down in the front yard of a home.

When officers closed on him, he drew a handgun. They gave him repeated commands to drop it. He did not. He pointed it at them.

Four of the five SAPD officers on scene fired. Davila was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. A handgun was recovered and photographed at the scene. An unknown item struck by gunfire ignited a small fire, which officers put out. No officers or bystanders were hurt.

Usually I wait until the end of a video before saying whether it holds up. This one does not require it.

Officers attempted a stop. He fled. He went down. He produced a firearm and pointed it at police.

You cannot pull a gun on the police and expect anything other than what happened. That is not a close question and it never has been.

Listen to the audio. “Drop the gun. Drop the gun. Drop the gun.”

Three times. At a man who already has a pistol in his hand at close range.

That is remarkable restraint, and I will say plainly that it is more than I would have given. When a man produces a firearm at that distance you are already behind — he has the initiative, and the time it takes you to recognize the gun, decide, and press is time he is using to point it.

They gave him three chances anyway.

Nobody is legally required to do that. The law does not ask you to absorb the first round before you are allowed to defend yourself. These officers extended more than the standard demanded and it cost them nothing this time, which is the only reason it reads as restraint instead of a tragedy.

There is a small tactical point in here that is easy to miss. The bicycle did not just fall over — the patrol unit made contact and put him down.

Used correctly, on a fleeing suspect, at a controlled speed, that is a legitimate tool and it ended the pursuit immediately. It also put officers on top of him fast, which is exactly when he chose to draw.

That is the tradeoff with any rapid takedown. You end the flight, and you buy yourself a very short reaction window with a suspect whose hands you cannot see.