Family looking for Bexar County Insasses prison death

SAN ANTONIO -The family of Francisco Bazan is still looking for answers after the 46-year-old died in custody in Bexar County prison.

The former deputy of Bexar County's Sheriff Office, Clemente Lopez, 20, was again arrested on Wednesday evening due to the indictment for organized criminal activities.

Lopez had previously been charged with murder at the beginning of this month after he had admitted that he had opened a prison cell door on April 28 to attack Basan.

Bazan was later reacted to his upper body in his cell with blunt force trauma. An autopsy confirmed that his death was a murder caused by extensive internal bleeding.

Bazan's sister, Janice Palma, said the loss had destroyed the family.

“He still had so much life in him, and to see my brother like this because I know that I can never speak to him again or hear him or something, it is heartbreaking,” she said.

Lopez submitted his resignation after his first interview with investigators and was immediately arrested. He connected to 500,000 US dollars on May 3, but was processed again for the new indictment on Wednesday evening. Since then he has tied a second time.

According to court files, Lopez began working for BCSO in August 2023. He is the fifth deputy of Bexar County, who has been arrested this year.

Four occupants were also charged with the death of Bazan.

Bexar County's sheriff, Javier Salazar, previously said Ksat that he was “disgusted” after Lopez.

“I wanted to look (Lopez) in the eye and tell him exactly how disgusted I was with the behavior and I did it,” said Salazar. “He apologized, of course, but for me it was unfortunately very little comfort for what he enforced this agency, and this family, who enforced this terrible, unimaginable tragedy of the loss of a loved one.”

“He was a good person”

The Bazan was custody because of the expression of the arrest and possession of a controlled substance. His family says this indictment did not cost him his life.

“He had his problems, he had a drug problem,” said his father Francisco Palma. “But otherwise he was a good person.”

The family hired the lawyer Will Clark, who says that Bazan's civil rights were violated.

“You have rights, you have the right to a proper procedure and you have the right to the same protection, you have the right not to be murdered in Bexar County prison,” said Clark.

Clark said the family was working with Texas Rangers and considering legal steps.

“It is a shame that the family even has to bring a legal dispute,” he added.

Bazan's father hopes that the tragedy will lead to changes.

“Maybe my son's death will not be for nothing, maybe a good thing will come.”

The district of the Sheriff of the Bexar district published a statement that continued to be “zero tolerance for misconduct of the employee”, with regard to the arrests of Lopez and another former deputy, Jorge Alejandro Rocha, which was taken into custody on Friday.

Read BCSO's full statement below:

“The Bexar district's office is still obliged to maintain our zero tolerance for misconduct by the employee, as the latest death examinations to Francisco Bazan proves, which led to arrests from two former MPs.

We will take decisive measures to ensure accountability and integrity and at the same time prioritize the security of our facility. Let it be clear: misconduct is not tolerated and we will act quickly to hold someone to account for our standards. “

Further reporting on this story on ksat.com: