Arrest made in officer’s killing
San Antonio chief says ‘the uniform was the target’
SAN ANTONIO — After a 30-hour manhunt, police Monday afternoon took a man into custody in the fatal ambush shooting of a veteran detective, according to Chief William McManus.
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Otis Tyrone McKane of San Antonio.
“I’ve been through several custody battles, and I was upset at the situation I was in, and I lashed out at someone who didn’t deserve it,” McKane said before he was booked, according to a recording made available by KENS-TV. “I just want to see my son.”
McManus said police believe that on Sunday McKane entered the police headquarters around 7:45 a.m., spoke to a clerk for about 20 seconds and left.
McManus said no officers were in the building at the time, but he declined to elaborate on the interaction, citing the ongoing investigation.
Four hours later, 20-year-veteran officer Benjamin Marconi was ambushed outside the building, police said.
“I think the uniform was the target,” McManus said.
“We are relieved he was taken into custody without further loss of life,” the chief said. “It’s a relief for a lot of us. Everyone’s looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”
Marconi’s slaying comes amid heightened concerns for police officers’ safety across the nation. On Sunday, three other police officers were shot in separate shootings, two in Missouri and one in Florida.
McKane’s arrest was made after a SWAT team pulled over a vehicle on Interstate 10 East near Ack-
erman Road around 4:20 p.m. Monday. A woman and a 2-year-old child also were in the vehicle, police said.
Marconi, 50, was shot and killed about 11:45 a.m. Sunday during a traffic stop near San Antonio police headquarters downtown. Marconi was issuing a traffic citation to another driver when a black sedan pulled up behind his patrol car, police said.
The man in the black vehicle walked up to Marconi’s car and fired two shots through the passenger window, hitting the detective in the head, police said.
Marconi was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Family gives thanks
Marconi left behind his adult children, Jacy Lewis Marconi and Dane Gregory Marconi. He is the first San Antonio officer to be killed in the line of duty this year.
Marconi’s family released a statement Monday asking for privacy.
“At this time, the Marconi family would like to give thanks from the bottom of our hearts for the outpouring of support, prayers and love we have received. At this time, we would appreciate privacy to mourn the loss of a wonderful father, brother, grandfather, friend and last, but not least, a peace officer,” the family said, thanking the San Antonio community and the support they received from across the country.
Marconi’s death sent a shock wave of grief throughout his family, the police community and those who were his friends.
“He was so loving, so caring. Ever since he was a little boy, he would pray for everyone. If he knew somebody was sick or even if they weren’t, he would pray, for everyone,” said Estela Ayala, 67, Marconi’s aunt.
And now, she said, she and her family are praying for him and the rest of their family.
Marconi’s immediate family declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation, but he was remembered by aunts and friends as an upbeat protector of the community and anyone in need.
“I always knew he was going to be something very special,” said Elsie McGuire, his aunt and Ayala’s sister.
“He had this beauty about him that was always with people — working people, talking to people. He was always being there. I knew when he became a policeman, it was like that’s his calling. To protect others. And that’s what he loved. That’s the biggest thing he loved, doing his job.”
Marconi moved in with his father, who was also a police officer, during his dad’s final months of life. He also helped fix his aunt’s roof, Ayala recalled.
Good with children
Leticia Van de Putte, a former state senator, was a longtime friend of Marconi — they met in the late 1990s through mutual friends at a birthday party at a club, she said.
Later, during her failed campaign for lieutenant governor, he worked privately for her as a security guard.
Always keeping safety in mind, Van de Putte said, Marconi would keep on eye on people at bars whom he deemed unfit to drive.
“He was always the first one to tell somebody: ‘I’m taking your car keys away. Time to stop.’ He never stopped being the protector, even in a social situation,” Van de Putte said.
And he tried to pass that on to her grandchildren.
“He was so good with little ones, he would say: ‘You make good choices, because I have to deal with people that don’t make good choices and then they have to go to the big timeout. You know what the big timeout is, don’t you?’ ” she said.
Marconi was described as a private man — he didn’t use Facebook, though two years ago he took up Twitter, where he shared Human Rights Campaign posts, police advocacy notices and LGBT community information.
His Twitter profile is a quote from Maya Angelou: “The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
“I just somehow think that the world is off its axis,” Van de Putte said, referring to Marconi’s death and the other three shootings nationwide.
The San Antonio Police Officers Association has set up a memorial fund in Marconi’s name at Generations Federal Credit Union.
To donate, go to any bank branch or online at www.mygenfcu.org/MarconiMemorial.