for him to be an officer and to be
putting not only my life but his and
other people's lives in danger weaving
out of traffic like that and causing a
scene it was I was terrified he got
super charged up though like like he was
ready but it is to happen there are they
are two men with something in common
both were involved in road rage
incidents involving guns with the same
off-duty San Antonio police officer less
than a year apart one now has a criminal
record the other paralyzed in declining
health after being shot by that officer
eight times as s APD officer desi rios
prepares to return to full duty from his
own shooting injuries a month-long
investigation from dylan collier and our
defenders raises questions about Rios's
role in both incidents and whether
something he's mentally fit to interact
with the public
a warning much of what you're about to
see is graphic it's tonight's defenders
investigation life in a wheelchair is
now the everyday reality for 26 year-old
Demonte walker a shattered t12 vertebra
the most visible but far from only
injury caused by bullets fired last May
by intoxicated off-duty San Antonio
police officer desi Rios tonight for the
first time Walker gives his sign
[Music]
somebody got shot outside of a highway
traffic altercation turned shootout in
the parking lot of allstars gentlemen's
club I've never seen me as the bad guy
Walker was in his Dodge Challenger on
interstate 10 around 9:30 p.m.
headed to All Stars to drop off his
wife's cousin destiny roads so she could
work when Officer Rios leaving a police
cadet dinner at a nearby restaurant cut
him off in his Toyota Camry then exited
as Walker turned into his destination
Rios ahead of him did as well and I
guess when I put my signal and I was
turning in there says he thought I was
following him I think he thought I was
signaling him to pull over with me si PD
declined to make Rios available for an
interview for this story but his account
of what happened that night is laid out
in these documents prepared by s APD for
prosecutors
and on this body-worn camera belonging
to a fellow officer Rios's story has
changed over time walker's has not there
was never any doubt in my mind that this
young man was telling the truth
Charles Adams is Walker's defense
attorney and a former Houston area
police officer he's remained on the case
months after his client was cleared of
criminal wrongdoing I get that as an as
a as a chief of police you feel a duty
to cover for protect your officers they
knew at that time that Demonte was in
the parking lot of his destination they
knew at that time that Officer Rios was
not going to that nightclub that he was
just there for the altercation when
questioned at SAPD headquarters a month
after being shot six times rio City
pulled into the parking lot because he
needed to call his wife
a much different narrative than what he
told the officer who rode with him to
the hospital another point of contention
Rios is location when he was shocked he
told investigators he went to the front
of the vehicles to put a car between him
and Walker for safety backed up even
more then after being shot crawled to
his car for his weapon if that was the
case then why was SAPD personnel
standing in the middle of the supposed
shooting scene photos show a vast
majority of the blood evidence was
instead outside Rios his driver's side
door Walker contends that Rios was armed
during the entire verbal confrontation
and after being shot return fire while
Walker was on the phone with 911 him and
Rhodes as they sat inside Walker's
vehicle San Antonio 9-1-1 hello like a
wild
you know and it was horrific it was
gross it was evil and then even more so
that a police officer is involved with
is like I mean if I was a police officer
I wouldn't just avoid the police
officers narrative doesn't make sense
when I talked to the Walker family their
story did make sense
I had like IV stuck in my arm Walker
says he's had too many surgeries to
remember the exact count losing 100
pounds since the shooting
instead he cried for days after seeing
himself in a wheelchair for the first
time unless I seen myself I was gone
it's just weird
nine months earlier in August 2017
officer Rios was involved in another
off-duty road rage incident this one
close to downtown the other driver
nathan piscina then just 20 years old
says he was in the outside lane of 281
south when Rios this time in a rented
Ford Expedition nearly swerved into him
repeatedly like trying to almost hit the
front bumper of my car I could tell he
was in a way like mocking me or laughing
about it kind of like a very smug sort
of demeanor to him police report says
piscina
admitted to pointing a gun at Rio he
disputed that account both at the scene
if I had the gun but I didn't back
like physically bringing it up pointing
it now and when we interviewed him he
claims that at one point you grabbed the
gun and pointing it towards him did that
happen no papa Xena was booked for
deadly conduct and unlawful carry of a
weapon charges that remain on his record
Rios was allowed to sit in the front
seat of an SI PD squad car and had the
benefit of a fellow officer muting his
microphone while Ryo spoke to his fellow
policeman Rios later told investigators
he tried to grab his service weapon but
realized it was in the back area of his
rented vehicle buzina and Adams say the
2017 case was an omen of things to come
they should have known he had the
capacity for this type of life don't
forget me but he put somebody in a
wheelchair because of his temper and you
want to put someone like that back out
on the force that doesn't make any sense
to me it's like putting a bull in a
crowded Center full of people and then
what do you expect to happen eventually
he's gonna he's gonna Gore somebody
or the defenders Dylan Collier case at
12news earlier this month the district
attorney's office confirmed it closed
its investigations of Walker and Rios
without charging either man for the
shooting
s APD declined to make officer Rios or
Chief William McManus available for
interviews for this story chief McManus
did provide the following written
statement quote in the August 2017
incident officer Rios was the victim of
a deadly conduct after the defendant
pointed a gun at him that case was
investigated and forwarded to the
district attorney's office it continues
the suspect was later convicted of that
offense officer Rios is currently on
light duty in an administrative capacity
as he is still recovering after being
shot six times once he is fully
recovered he will be assigned to full
duty on Patrol I spoke right now on
Kasey Kahne you can hear every 9-1-1
call from the all-star shootout mapped
to show where those calls came from