SAN ANTONIO, Texas — After losing an eye in a shooting, one officer stunned his colleagues by returning to an elite unit after only two months, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
SWAT officer Rhett Shoquist had a brush with death during a police pursuit on Aug. 24, 2023, when a bullet struck his right eye, according to the report. A third-generation law enforcement officer and Marine veteran, Shoquist had been a member of the elite tactical unit for less than three months.
The pursuit involved a man who was armed with an AR-style rifle and fleeing in a blue Mitsubishi Lancer driven by a woman he had allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint, according to the report. As Shoquist and his partner, SWAT Officer Adam Rule, pursued the man, the gunman fired repeatedly through the rear window. Bullets ricocheted off the police cruiser before one pierced the windshield, striking Shoquist in the eye.
In the adrenaline-fueled chaos, Shoquist, certain he was going to die, thought of his wife and two young sons. But his partner, also injured by shrapnel, reassured him: the bullet had exited through Shoquist’s cheek, sparing his brain, according to the report. The sunglasses Shoquist wore — a rare choice for him — deflected the bullet’s trajectory, a small decision that saved his life.
The suspect’s rampage continued even after the pursuit ended. He fled on foot, shooting and injuring another officer, Raul Chavez, before barricading himself in an apartment. After a four-hour standoff, the man was arrested and charged with multiple counts, including aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping.
The shooting of Shoquist and Chavez was one of several violent incidents involving San Antonio officers during a particularly dangerous stretch in late summer 2023, according to the report. The shootings spurred public outrage and a debate over the criminal justice system’s handling of repeat offenders like the gunman in this case, who had been released on bond despite a history of violent crimes.
“I know the risks. I knew the risks that day. I would do it over again,” Shoquist told the San Antonio Express News.
The ordeal also deepened Shoquist’s perspective on his priorities, according to the report. While committed to his role in law enforcement, he is acutely aware of his irreplaceable role as a husband and father.
“Had I died that day, nothing would have changed for the police department,” he said. “The only thing that would have changed is that my wife would have been a widow, and my kids would have been fatherless.”
Despite his injuries, which included permanent vision loss in his right eye and lingering bullet fragments, Shoquist returned to SWAT duty just two months later. The recovery was grueling, involving surgeries, intensive training and adapting to his new physical limitations, according to the report. He retrained himself to shoot left-eyed, modified his rifle for accuracy and worked tirelessly to meet the exacting standards of the unit.
“I want to show everybody that I’m here for the team,” he said. “It’s less about figuring out how to do it with one eye—it’s more about doing my job at the highest level possible.”
