Grand Jury clears San Marcos officers in fatal knife attack shooting
A Hays County Grand Jury found no grounds to indict two San Marcos police officers who shot and killed Thomas Anthony Hawkins III on 26 June 2026.
San Marcos officers cleared after fatal shooting of wanted suspect
A Hays County Grand Jury has determined that two San Marcos Police Department officers were justified in shooting and killing 25-year-old Thomas Anthony Hawkins III on the evening of 26 June 2026, hayscountytx.gov reported. No indictment was returned against either officer.
Hawkins was wanted on active warrants for violent offences from three separate counties, including one from Hays County, when officers received information that he was at an apartment in the Mission Trail @ El Camino Real complex in San Marcos. Three SMPD officers responded to the scene: two approached the third-floor unit while a third monitored the building's balcony from street level.
After officers knocked, the brother of Hawkins and another resident emerged from the apartment and spoke with them. The officers were told that weapons were inside the unit. The brother then offered to re-enter and attempt to persuade Hawkins to surrender peacefully. While officers waited in the hallway, they reported hearing voices and what sounded like a struggle inside.
Moments later the door opened. The brother was seen pushing Hawkins out of the apartment. Hawkins was holding a knife in his right hand and immediately turned and lunged at one of the officers. Both officers discharged their weapons; Hawkins was struck multiple times and died at the scene.
The Texas Rangers led the subsequent investigation, with assistance from San Marcos Police. The case was then presented to the grand jury, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings in Hays County. Jurors reviewed body camera footage from both officers along with the Rangers' investigative findings before concluding that no charges should be filed.
The decision was announced by the Office of Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)