SAN ANTONIO — Melissa Perez's former sister-in-law took the stand Monday and spoke about Perez's declining mental health as the trial centered on three former San Antonio police officers who shot and killed her entered its second full week.

Perez was 46 when she was fatally shot during a mental health crisis in June 2023. Authorities say she was coming at officers with a hammer. At the center of the case is whether the defendants – Alfred Flores, Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos – were justified in their use of deadly force.

Last week, jurors saw graphic photos and physical evidence from the scene of the police shooting, including the hammer Perez is said to have wielded. The defendants' lawyers say Perez was a threat to their safety.

On Monday, Daisy Nieto testified that

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