Passenger opened fire in shootout with San Antonio officer

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio police on Sunday said it was a passenger in the front seat who opened fire on an officer following a routine traffic stop, leading the wounded officer to fatally shoot the driver and that passenger.

Police had previously said it was the driver of the pickup truck who opened fire on the officer in the shootout Friday.

Police said Sunday that the medical examiner identified the two men killed as Sammie Joe Barbosa, 33, the driver, and Alex Anthony Garcia, 25, the passenger.

A 22-year-old female passenger was grazed by gunfire and taken to a hospital.

The officer was shot in the hand, police said. Police on Saturday identified that officer as Officer T. Sauvage, a five-year veteran, and did not immediately return messages to The Associated Press on Sunday seeking the officer’s first name. The San Antonio Express-News reports officials have identified the officer as Tyler John Sauvage.

Police said their investigation has determined that an occupant in the vehicle, whom police did not identify, was told to give the handgun to Garcia, who then shot Sauvage.

Police Chief William McManus has said the officer’s body camera recorded a few minutes of what appeared to be a casual conversation between the officer and the truck’s occupants before the officer was shot.

Police say that after talking with the occupants, the officer requested cover via radio.

Per protocol, the police shooting team and internal affairs will conduct separate but concurrent investigations. The officer will be placed on administrative duty.

A day earlier, a police officer shot and killed a man who opened fire outside a San Antonio International Airport terminal.

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