SAPD officer fired for taking weapons during gun buyback

A San Antonio police officer was fired after authorities said he took two shotguns and a handgun confiscated by residents during a city gun buyback program and placed them in his personal vehicle. Two of the weapons were never found.

Officer David Mahula, an 18-year veteran of the force, was suspended indefinitely, amounting to termination, on May 9 for allegedly violating a handful of department administrative rules, according to disciplinary records.

Mahula, in an appeal filed May 10, denied the allegations and requested an arbitration hearing as outlined in the city's contract with the police union. Mahula is seeking back pay and lost benefits.

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Records allege Mahula was working at the city-sponsored event on Nov. 19 when Bryan Naylor, an aide who works for District 9 Councilman John Courage, watched Mahula place what appeared to be two shotguns in his personal vehicle .

Naylor then reported what he saw to Courage, who spoke to City Manager Erik Walsh. Walsh forwarded the information to SAPD, triggering an investigation by detectives from the Chief's Integrity Detail, which investigates possible criminal violations committed by officers.

Mahula, in an interview with detectives the following month, admitted to placing two rifles and a World War II-era Colt 1911 handgun in his vehicle, saying he wanted to protect the firearms until They can be separated because of their “historical significance”. the state of the archives.

He also admitted to taking several boxes of returned ammunition to destroy at the training academy firearms range, where Mahula was stationed. Detectives found nine boxes of ammunition in Mahula's vehicle.

Mahula's attorney was not immediately available for comment.

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Mahula provided detailed descriptions of the rifles, and rifles matching those descriptions were found in the property room. But detectives later determined those guns weren't the ones Mahula took, records show.

Shortly after Mahula made his initial statement, Naylor saw photographs of the two rifles Mahula described, records show. Naylor told detectives that the weapons he saw Mahula place in his vehicle appeared to be shotguns and not rifles.

Detectives also reviewed COBAN footage taken from officers’ patrol vehicles. Those images showed Mahula placing long guns in his personal vehicle — not rifles, records show.

COBAN footage also helped detectives track down a resident, James Norman, who said he surrendered two shotguns at the event: a Ruger 20-gauge shotgun and a Remington 12-gauge shotgun.

In the footage, Norman can be seen confiscating the shotguns around the same time Mahula placed the two long guns in his vehicle. It also showed Mahula placing several handguns in a collection bin and leaving with one of the handguns, and later, a holster.

Two SAPD officers working in Mahula's tent during the event told detectives that they questioned Mahula about a U.S. government-issued Colt handgun that they had heard was being shot. 'be returned.

“One of these officers reported that Officer Mahula responded to their request by placing a finger to his lips, and the other officer reported that Officer Mahula made a facial expression that he interpreted as 'shut up,'” records state.

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The two long guns Mahula allegedly took were never found, records show.

McManus, in disciplinary filings, alleged that Mahula violated four SAPD rules and regulations, including those that require officers to be honest, obey lawful orders, serve the public and demonstrate good conduct and good behavior.

Detectives also investigated whether Mahula committed a crime, but after consulting with the Bexar County Prosecutor's Office, they determined his actions did not meet legal standards, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The gun buyback program was championed by Councilor Courage, who had wanted to hold such an event since 2017 but had previously failed to find funding. The idea gained ground after the shooting at the Uvalde school which cost the lives of 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022.

The North Side councilman, running for mayor in the 2025 municipal elections, has accumulated $100,000 in his discretionary funds to help finance the program, but his office said in June that the project was expected to raise about $150,000 from more. To help support the event, the San Antonio Area Foundation has established a fund to accept tax-deductible contributions.

In total, organizers collected about 933 guns in exchange for about $160,000 in gift cards.

The San Antonio Police Department reviews all confiscated weapons, and those that cannot be traced to a legal owner will be destroyed and used to create a public art project. If a gun is traceable and turns out to be stolen, authorities said they will return it to its legal owner.

Staff writer Melissa Manno contributed to this report.