Lawyer: Teen shot by San Antonio cop released from hospital
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio police officer was charged in the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy.
Court documents unsealed Wednesday show officer Anthony Viera told investigators he feared for his life after the shooting, but said he was trying to talk the boy down.
Viera was arrested Tuesday on a charges of manslaughter and evidence tampering.
An attorney for the boy, Demarco Brown, said the shooting was part of a pattern of behavior.
“A lot of times, when officers are dealing with a young child or a teenager, the officers are going to use the child to try and get some type of information to help them determine what type of crime they may have committed,” attorney John Raley said.
In Viera’s deposition, he said he shot the boy after the teenage boy became violent while in custody. Viera said the boy said he would hurt the officer during the struggle.
“As a result of his threat, I began to think he was going to try to kill me,” Viera said. “I made a decision to shoot (the boy). He never touched me. I was never in fear of my life. I was only in fear of him trying to break free.”
Brown’s family, including his parents and three sisters, were in court for the manslaughter charge.
His mother, Valerie, sat in the front row of the courtroom for the brief hearing.
She told reporters that she has been through a lot but said she always stood up for her son.
“He was a good boy, he was always respectful and treated everybody very well,” she said.
Brown’s father, Kenneth, choked back tears as he told reporters outside the courtroom that he was hopeful Viera would be arrested quickly and be set free.
“I just want to thank (the) people who helped me and the detectives who helped me,” he said. “I just want to thank all of the media.”
Viera was hired in February as a reserve officer after more than five
