SAN ANTONIO (AP/KXAN) — Authorities in San Antonio have made an arrest in connection to the murder of Det. Benjamin Marconi. The arrest was made around 4:30 p.m. Monday when San Antonio police stopped a vehicle along Interstate 10 in east Bexar County. Inside the vehicle was 31-year-old Otis McKane, another man, a woman and a baby.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus says they believe McCain is the person responsible for the shooting.
Over the past 24 hours, San Antonio police have released photographs and video asking for help identifying a man they believe was involved in the attack on Marconi. Marconi was fatally shot late Sunday morning while writing a ticket in his squad car.
McManus says the suspect shot 50-year-old Marconi twice in the head. Marconi was a 20-year veteran of the force. McManus said dashcam video from Marconi’s patrol vehicle has provided “a lot of information” for investigators about his death.
According to McManus, the officer had pulled over a vehicle and while he was inside his squad car writing a ticket, a vehicle pulled up behind him. He says the driver of that vehicle then walked up to the officer’s driver-side window and opened fire. He says he does not believe the original motorist pulled over had any relationship to the shooter.
McManus says the suspect is considered to be “extremely dangerous and a clear threat” to both officers and the public. He says officers have been advised to not make traffic stops alone.
Authorities in San Antonio, say the suspect in the killing of a veteran police detective appeared at police headquarters prior to the shooting. Authorities released surveillance video Monday showing the suspect standing outside the building and then walking in. The images show a black man dressed in all black and wearing a black ball cap.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling the fatal shooting of a San Antonio police officer a “horrific act of violence.” His office is also offering a $15,000 cash reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Marconi. The reward is being funded as part of the the Office of the Governor’s Fallen Hero Reward Texas Remembers program. This reward will be combined with the San Antonio Crime Stoppers initial offering of $10,000, bringing the total cash award amount to $25,000.