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The senior San Antonio police officer now awaiting indictment for the murder of Melissa Perez was nearly fired six years ago, according to public records obtained by TPR.
Alfred Flores, the 14-year veteran sergeant and supervisor on the scene the night 46-year-old died, was one of three officers in an SAPD video that showed them firing their weapons into Perez’s home last Friday. Perez died at the scene.
Disciplinary records showed that had different decisions been made, Flores may never have been on site that deadly night. TPR's attempts to reach Flores for comment were unsuccessful.
Flores was involved in an off-duty incident on June 8, 2017, that was described as a “disturbance.” He yelled profanities at a redacted subject — violating good conduct rules.
The redacted disciplinary record signed by Police Chief William McManus said Flores was found in a subsequent investigation to have left his assigned section three days in a row leading up to the incident to go to his home while on duty — violating rules around leaving assigned sections without permission.
Flores ultimately was given a much lesser punishment.
“Officer Flores and Chief McManus have agreed to reduce the discipline in this matter to a ten-day suspension without pay,” the document said.
TPR requested an unredacted copy of the disciplinary documents to better understand the seriousness of the infraction.
“The incidents that he's had have gone through the process,” McManus said in an interview with TPR. “They've gone through the Complaint Administrative Review Board, which has recommended a course of corrective action. That corrective action was taken.”
McManus has been critical of the response on the night of Perez’s death. He said the officers should have called for the Mental Health Unit and used de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention methods that all SAPD officers are trained on.
Perez was found in the midst of a mental health crisis, cutting fire alarm wires because she thought the FBI was listening to her. Her family has since disclosed she suffered from schizophrenia.
McManus said he saw no evidence those de-escalation techniques were employed the night Perez was killed.
The chief said it was not normal practice for a supervisor, which Flores was, to be on the front line of police response — as video showed.
McManus said he was not aware if Flores had a history of recklessness or ‘cowboyism.'
The veteran officer was also suspended by the police force in three other incidents — ranging from acts of incompetency, neglect of duty and violating rules in 2018, 2020, and 2021, for a combined period of 26 days, according to records.
In 2020 he was suspended 15 days without pay for going to get food rather than responding to a shooting in progress, without notifying any of his colleagues, according to the HR forms.
“He left his assigned area for a purpose not related to his duties without supervisor authorization and he did not act together with other officers dispatched to the shooting in progress where danger might reasonably be impending when he was able to respond to the shooting but drove further away from the shooting in progress,” the document read.
In 2018, the Firefighters' and Police Officers’ Civil Service Commission issued a one-day suspension against then Detective Flores for failing to turn on his body camera. Flores appeared to have pulled over a car that had tailgated him for five miles and pulled his service weapon. He didn’t start his body camera until after he was out of his car, said the document, and it should have been recording because he was responding to another call for service.
“Detective Flores was in fear for his safety due to reporting person’s previous behavior tailgating him combined with being on a dark remote road,” it said.
Flores failed to turn in a bag full of money, and he received a 10-day suspension after it was found in the trunk of his service car. He also failed to document why he muted his body camera, said human resource documents.
The bag was part of a narcotics bust that included two purses, two backpacks and a gray laptop bag. Marijuana and methamphetamine were turned into the SAPD property room. The gray laptop bag had $1,852 and was left in the trunk of the car. According to the report, Flores drove that vehicle 14 times, and it was seen on video in the back seat each time. A colleague ultimately found and turned in the bag.
Flores was cited for not being attentive to his duties.
No disciplinary records were found for Nathaniel Villalobos, and his attorneys did not respond to TPR's request for comment.
Eleazar Alejandro was suspended four times prior to the shooting. TPR's attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. The suspensions were for issues ranging from incompetence, neglect of duty, property damage and other violations.
He struck a traffic control light while on patrol in a police cruiser in 2018 and received a one-day suspension. Alejandro received a 15-day suspension that was reduced to a two-day suspension for bad conduct after he was flagged down for a fight on South Roosevelt in 2019. He pursued a male fighter into a home — the homeowner had let him inside. He then kicked down an interior door that was locked. He was dinged for property damage.
In 2020, the patrolman responded to a shoplifting call from a Walmart in south San Antonio. He was punished for offering a woman the opportunity to return or pay for items she allegedly stole rather than arrest her immediately. Ultimately he did arrest her when she wouldn’t sign a document from the store that would have made future visits criminal trespass.
He was threatened with a 30-day suspension, which was reduced by five days after he protested.
Alejandro was cited for neglect, incompetence and other violations again in 2020, when he failed to arrest an unlicensed driver who was involved in a car accident that was unregistered and had active municipal warrants out for his arrest. The patrolman also filed an incorrect crash report that said the man had a license, and he failed to list two people who fled the scene.
The three officers involved in the Perez murder are out on $100,000 bond.
A funeral was held Thursday for Perez. Her family released a statement on the day of the funeral:
“We are horrified by the events that led to the unnecessary death of our mother, Melissa Perez. We loved her dearly, and we are having a very difficult time processing the events surrounding her death,” relatives said in the statement. “We hope that our mother’s memory can inspire our community to come together and demand the needed changes within SAPD.”
