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Darrell Zemault Sr. woke up on Sept. 15 with plans to refurbish a set of cabinets a typical activity for the lifelong West Side resident, according to Celeste Brown. She described him as a “second father” who was happy to help anyone, from family to strangers.
“He was the most handy man in the world,” she said. “He would help me with my car all of the time.”
Before he could finish the project, a San Antonio police officer shot him in the back.
The San Antonio Police Department claimed that Zemault Sr. grabbed an officer’s gun during an attempted arrest for outstanding warrants. But the department continues to withhold body camera footage of the encounter, and a spokesperson did not answer questions from Texas Public Radio about the incident.
Bexar DA says cite-and-release for petty crimes is working well
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Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales speaks during a press conference Nov. 20.Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News
A cite-and-release program for nonviolent offenses especially involving marijuana has kept nearly 2,500 people out of jail, saved taxpayers $1.8 million in booking and court costs and put police officers back on the streets to handle higher-priority crime, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales says.
Gonzales, a defense attorney for 20 years and now just two years into the DA’s position, said the nascent program has been widely praised by judges, police and the criminal defense bar.