SAN ANTONIO — An arbitration hearing is underway to determine if former San Antonio police officer Abdiel Munoz will be reinstated following his termination. Munoz was fired after the March 3, 2024 death of 19-year-old Jesus Gonzales in a Bexar County jail, where Gonzales died by suicide with a smuggled handgun.

City attorneys argued that Munoz failed to conduct a proper search before transporting Gonzales. "This tragedy was preventable," a city attorney said during the proceedings. Body camera and jail surveillance footage from the incident was publicly displayed at the hearing, showing Munoz checking Gonzales's pockets without performing a comprehensive pat-down search.

Internal Affairs investigator Sgt. Rachel Mendez testified that the search footage raised procedural concerns. "Normally, you would ask them to spread their feet to perform a search up and down the legs. I don’t see that happening," Mendez said. Police Chief William McManus testified that transportation officers bear ultimate responsibility for ensuring detainees are properly searched. "This was not a good faith error. It was just a neglect to do the search," McManus testified, adding, "The failure of officer Munoz resulted in the death of this individual. As bad as it was, it could have been worse."

Munoz's attorney argued that his termination was an excessive penalty and inconsistent with discipline in comparable cases. Surveillance video also showed a Bexar County Sheriff's Office corporal searching Gonzales upon his arrival at the jail without discovering the weapon. That corporal received a 30-day suspension last year. Gonzales produced the firearm during a subsequent strip search inside the jail and fired a single shot.

The arbitrator will evaluate whether Munoz violated department policy and if termination constituted the appropriate disciplinary action. Proceedings resume Wednesday.