Nearly eight years after unarmed 18-year-old Charles Roundtree Jr. was shot and killed by San Antonio police Officer Steve Casanova, his family’s federal civil-rights lawsuit has finally gone to trial, with testimony beginning August 19 after settlement talks failed.
Charles Roundtree Jr.
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Date: 10/17/2018
Location: 217 Roberts Street
City: San Antonio
County: Bexar
State: Texas
Agency: San Antonio Police Department
Officer(s): Steve Casanova
Cause of Death: Gunshot
Event: Unarmed bystander killed by police inside residence
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NARRATIVE:
On 10/17/2018, 18-year-old Charles “Chop Chop” Roundtree Jr. was shot and killed by San Antonio Police Officer Steve Casanova while sitting on a couch with friends inside a home at 217 Roberts Street on San Antonio’s West Side. Roundtree was unarmed and was not the person police had gone to the house looking for.
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Casanova was investigating a report of a misdemeanor assault across the street at 218 Roberts Street. The complainant described the person who allegedly punched him as a Black man between 20 and 25 years old who was tall and thin, wore a gray sweater and blue jeans and had little or no hair.
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Casanova decided to investigate 217 Roberts Street because he believed the man involved in the assault had gone there. Court records subsequently established that Casanova was already familiar with the residence and had been watching it because he suspected it was a drug house.
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Casanova and Officer James Panah approached the residence. Roundtree was sitting inside the living room with Devante Snowden and Taylor Singleton.
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According to evidence subsequently reviewed by the federal court, Casanova pushed open the front door and shined a bright flashlight into the darkened living room without first verbally identifying himself as a police officer. The people inside said the flashlight blinded them and prevented them from recognizing that the person at the doorway was police.
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Snowden got up and moved toward the doorway to determine who was there. Police subsequently alleged that Snowden aggressively approached Casanova and reached toward his waistband for a gun.
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Roundtree, Snowden and Singleton disputed that account. They maintained that no one inside the living room was armed and that Snowden did not threaten Casanova or reach for a weapon. Snowden said he was pulling up his pants when Casanova confronted him.
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Casanova ordered Snowden to show his hands and almost immediately fired two rounds into the occupied living room. The gunfire struck Snowden in the back and buttocks, narrowly missed Singleton and struck Roundtree in the chest as he remained near the couch.
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Roundtree died from the gunshot wound.
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The federal court subsequently determined that, when the evidence was viewed in favor of Roundtree’s family, Casanova gave Snowden essentially no time to comply with his command before firing. The court also found that the plaintiffs’ version of the encounter was not conclusively contradicted by the available audio and video evidence.
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No one in the living room matched the description of the man Casanova had originally been seeking. Roundtree was 18 rather than the estimated 20 to 25 years old and had hair inconsistent with the description. Singleton was a woman. Evidence also raised factual questions about whether Snowden matched the description.
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Police nevertheless initially presented a substantially different account of the shooting. Authorities alleged that Snowden had aggressively approached Casanova and attempted to reach for a gun at his waist. Police also reported finding a firearm outside the residence.
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Snowden was subsequently charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm based on the gun police said they found outside the house. A jury acquitted him after investigators acknowledged that his DNA was not found on the weapon.
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Leaked body-camera footage further undermined portions of the original police narrative. The recording showed that Casanova had not identified himself as police before entering the doorway and illuminated the extremely short interval between his command and the gunfire.
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The federal court later specifically rejected the argument that the video indisputably established the police version of events. Instead, the court found genuine factual disputes concerning whether Snowden threatened Casanova, whether anyone inside possessed a firearm and whether Casanova’s use of deadly force was justified.
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The shooting also generated controversy over statements made by San Antonio Police Chief William McManus. The plaintiffs alleged that McManus publicly adopted Casanova’s account before an investigation had been completed and initially stated that Roundtree had been armed. In subsequent deposition testimony, McManus acknowledged recalling making a public statement that Roundtree had a gun but could not recall whether he later retracted it.
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Roundtree was unarmed.
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A Bexar County grand jury considered the shooting in 2019 and declined to indict Casanova. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales subsequently declined requests to reopen the criminal investigation.
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Casanova therefore faced no criminal charges for killing Roundtree.
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FEDERAL LAWSUIT:
Roundtree’s family filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Steve Casanova and the City of San Antonio only days after his death. The litigation ultimately also included claims by Taylor Singleton and Devante Snowden arising from the same shooting.
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The lawsuit alleges that Casanova violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights through his use of excessive deadly force. Roundtree’s estate and family seek wrongful-death and survival damages, while Snowden and Singleton seek damages for their own injuries arising from the gunfire.
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The plaintiffs allege that Roundtree, Snowden and Singleton were unarmed and made no threatening movements that justified Casanova firing into the living room.
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The lawsuit additionally challenges the City of San Antonio’s conduct, including allegations concerning police training, supervision, discipline and the department’s subsequent approval of Casanova’s actions.
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Casanova and the city repeatedly attempted to have the claims dismissed before a jury could hear them.
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In March 2022, U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam denied Casanova’s request for summary judgment on the excessive-force claims. The court determined that material factual disputes existed concerning what happened in the seconds before Casanova fired.
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The court found that, accepting the plaintiffs’ evidence for purposes of summary judgment, Casanova pushed open the door without identifying himself as police, ordered Snowden to show his hands and then fired without giving him adequate time to comply. Under that version of events, no one inside was armed or threatening Casanova.
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The court separately rejected significant portions of the City’s attempt to dispose of the litigation, allowing claims to continue toward trial. The judge specifically recognized discrepancies between the police account and other evidence and witness testimony.
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The case then remained in federal litigation for several additional years.
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2026 FEDERAL CIVIL TRIAL:
Nearly eight years after Roundtree’s killing, the federal civil-rights case finally reached a jury in August 2026.
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Jury selection was completed on 08/17/2026 in federal court in San Antonio. The jury was initially sent home before hearing testimony when the parties agreed to attempt mediation and settlement negotiations.
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The mediation failed to produce an agreement.
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On 08/19/2026, the jury was seated and testimony began in the federal civil trial against Steve Casanova and the City of San Antonio.
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Roundtree’s family, Devante Snowden and Taylor Singleton are asking the jury to hold Casanova and the city civilly responsible for the shooting. The plaintiffs allege excessive force and failures by the San Antonio Police Department to adequately train, supervise and discipline Casanova.
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The City of San Antonio continues to deny wrongdoing and maintains that Casanova’s shooting was justified under the circumstances he confronted.
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The trial places before a jury factual disputes that have remained unresolved since 2018: whether Snowden actually threatened Casanova; whether Casanova reasonably believed anyone inside possessed a gun; whether Casanova provided any meaningful opportunity to comply with his commands; and whether firing two rounds into the occupied living room constituted excessive deadly force.
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The trial is expected to last approximately one week.
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As of 08/21/2026, the federal civil trial is ongoing and no verdict has been returned.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Steve Casanova had approximately five years of experience with the San Antonio Police Department when he killed Charles Roundtree.
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Casanova was investigating a misdemeanor assault when he went to 217 Roberts Street. Federal court records establish that he was already familiar with the house and had been watching it because he suspected it was a drug house.
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Casanova fired two rounds into the occupied living room, killing Roundtree, wounding Snowden and narrowly missing Singleton.
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A Bexar County grand jury declined to indict Casanova in 2019, and he was never criminally charged in connection with Roundtree’s death.
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The City of San Antonio determined that the shooting was justified. Casanova subsequently sought to have the federal excessive-force litigation dismissed before trial.
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In 2022, U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam rejected Casanova’s request for summary judgment after determining that the evidence presented genuine factual disputes concerning whether Casanova faced an immediate threat when he fired.
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Casanova is now personally defending his actions before a federal civil jury in San Antonio. Testimony began on 08/19/2026 following unsuccessful settlement mediation.
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SOURCE LINKS:
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/charles-roundtree-fatal-shooting-civil-trial-22394985.php
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/texas/txwdce/5%3A2018cv01117/979696/217/
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/texas/txwdce/5%3A2018cv01117/979696/218/
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