SAN ANTONIO – A man with an assault rifle shot four San Antonio policemen entering his house Thursday to serve a search warrant, seriously injuring two of them before surrendering when SWAT officers returned a flash of gunfire, authorities said.
Police counted 14 bullet holes alone through the front door of the small house in a blue-collar San Antonio neighborhood and charged a 29-year-old former prison inmate with four counts of attempted capital murder.
Hours after the gunfight, San Antonio police chief William McManus said a 20-year department veteran shot beneath his protective armor was expected to recover following surgery.
Another officer, also expected to recover, was shot in the face, shoulder and hip.
"He was in a lot of pain, his breathing was labored, and he was not in real great shape either," McManus said.
Two other officers grazed by bullets were also hospitalized with less serious wounds.
Police identified the gunman as William Carroll, who McManus said has a lengthy criminal history that includes federal drug convictions. McManus said Carroll was being held in Bexar County jail.
Authorities said the shootout began when an 11-member SWAT team arrived at the house to serve a "high-risk" search warrant for narcotics. McManus said the officers were immediately besieged by gunfire upon entering the home in the middle of the afternoon.
Officers returned fire, but McManus said neither Carroll or a woman and child in the home were struck. He said Carroll surrendered into custody once the shooting stopped.
McManus did not immediately know if any drugs were found in the house, adding that the search may have been delayed while police at the home dealt with the aftermath of the shooting.
Carroll was released from prison in March 2008 following his sentence on federal drug charges, according to public records. He has also been previously arrested on other drug and weapons charges.
"Everybody is rallying behind the officers and their families," McManus said. "It tends to remind everyone how inherently dangerous this kind of job is."
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Associated Press Writer Terry Wallace in Dallas contributed to this report.
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