The SAPD officer tells the jury to inform Det. Marconi’s family on his death

SAINT ANTHONY – Editor’s Note: KSAT is streaming the entire Otis McKane trial live here. Receive a daily recap like this delivered to your inbox by signing up for the free Open Court newsletter.

When San Antonio Police Officer Frances Ochoa heard “Broken Officer” on her police radio on the morning of November 20, 2016, she got into her patrol car and drove as fast as she could. from the central substation to the nearby public security headquarters, she said. on the fourth day of Otis McKane’s trial on Thursday.

“I saw an officer on the ground. I didn’t know who it was, but it was one of us, ”Ochoa told jurors. “It was not good.”

A d

In all the chaos that ensued at the scene, Ochoa wanted to know the identity of the officer who was shot.

While the injured officer was on the stretcher to be transported to hospital, Ochoa obtained the officer’s badge number, went to his patrol vehicle to drive him and find out who he was. was acting.

“What? It’s Ben Marconi! I ran out and started telling everyone because no one knew who he was,” Ochoa said.

The 17-year-old member of the San Antonio Police Department then went to the San Antonio Military Medical Center, where Marconi was pronounced dead.

Ochoa and other officers then helped collect the uniform of the deceased officer and other personal effects.

“There was blood everywhere,” she said, adding that the mood was “sad, everyone was crying”.

Ochoa went to the hospital not only to support her injured fellow officer, but also her family.

As a volunteer Family Support Officer for SAPD, Ochoa provides comfort to family members in times of need.

A d

Her services would be needed that day as Marconi’s family began to arrive unaware of their loved one’s fate.

Ochoa said the first person she met was Marconi’s sister.

“When she came running in, I stopped her and asked her what she knew. I had to tell him that he died, ”Ochoa told the jury.

Marconi’s son, Dane, and his girlfriend soon arrived, only knowing that the officer had been shot.

“I told him his father did not survive,” Ochoa said.

Marconi’s daughter, JC, came next and asked for her brother.

“She asks him if he’s okay, and they cry, clinging to each other,” Ochoa said.

The jury also saw video of Ochoa’s body camera when she arrived at the scene of the shooting.

“Oh my God, Oh my God” Ochoa is heard saying several times.

His video and that of officer Gustavo Segura of the downtown bicycle patrol unit showed a chaotic scene, ambulances and police at the scene.

Segura described the scene as “Frantic, controlled… a lot of emotion too. Very, very emotional, ”he told jurors.

A d

Segura said he helped set up a crime scene tape and did what he could to help.

Thursday’s round of questioning for witnesses at the scene and other SAPD officers appeared to be aimed at establishing that Marconi was undoubtedly working at the time of his death, which would support the charge that the crime occurred while the officer was on duty. According to the Texas Penal Code, one of the requirements for a Texas capital murder charge is that the crime was committed while a peace officer “was acting in the rightful exercise of an official function” and that the person who committed the murder knew the person was a peace officer at the time of the murder.

McKane faces the death penalty if convicted.

The trial will resume Friday at 9 a.m. You can watch every moment live on KSAT in this article.

A d

READ MORE: