SAPD names San Antonio police officer who killed self in patrol car while on duty

San Antonio police closed down a portion of Port Entry, near Loop 410, after responding to reports of a shooting involving an officer, April 19, 2016. San Antonio police closed down a portion of Port Entry, near Loop 410, after responding to reports of a shooting involving an officer, April 19, 2016. Photo: By Mark D. Wilson/San Antonio Express-News Photo: By Mark D. Wilson/San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close SAPD names San Antonio police officer who killed self in patrol car while on duty 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio Police Department officer died Tuesday morning while on duty in his patrol vehicle in an apparent suicide on the far East Side.

SAPD spokesperson Romana Lopez said the officer is a 10-year veteran of the force who has not been named but was an overnight patrol officer assigned to the East Side.

SAPD confirmed Wednesday morning the officer's identity as Steven Franco.

According to police, Franco was dispatched to a patrol-by around 5 a.m. Those types of calls do not require officers to respond to dispatchers and it is unclear whether he communicated with dispatchers after that point.

His body, in full uniform, was found around 7:30 a.m. when additional officers were sent to Loop 410 and Port Entry to check on him after he did not return to the police substation at the end of his shift, police said.

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The officer's vehicle is pulled slightly off the road on the two-lane Port Entry roadway, which is a dead-end street feeding off Loop 410 and is less than a mile long.

One side of the road is flanked by fenced-in area with large steel shipping containers.

SAPD spokesman Officer Douglas Greene said the wound was apparently self-inflicted, though authorities are still investigating the incident and what led up to it.

RELATED: San Antonio officer found dead in apparent suicide at police headquarters garage

At least two other SAPD officer died in suicides last year, according to San Antonio Express-News archives.

Officer Bryan Moen, a 13-year-veteran of the department was found dead at Public Safety Headquarters in April, and Capt. Michael Gorhum died in August in La Vernia.

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mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA