San Marcos, Texas – A man who killed a police officer Texas He wounded two others and later took his life wearing a bulletproof vest and hoped to ambush them when they arrived at his house in response to a call for gender violence, authorities reported Sunday.
The incident on Saturday in San Marcos, a city 72 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of San Antonio, left agent Justin Putnam, 31, dead and two other agents in critical but stable condition.Bob Klett, acting police chief, said at a press conference Sunday.
The suspect “was ready, ready for them to come in and start shooting at them immediately, and there was nothing they could do to escape,” Klett said.
Authorities tentatively identified the assailant as Alfredo Pérez de la Cruz, 45, but Klett said that, along with the Texas Department of Public Safety, they continue to work to confirm his identity because he apparently used multiple names. The suspect’s criminal record was currently unavailable.
The police chief explained that the individual was wearing a bulletproof vest “as part of his preparations for officers to enter.”
Authorities responded to a 911 call about a man in the apartment who had hit his wife and threatened other family members who were there.
After speaking to a relative in the parking lot, officers decided to enter the building because they believed that the people inside the apartment were still in danger, Klett said. The suspect shot them with a rifle as soon as they entered, he added.
After the first shots were fired, a tactical team entered the apartment to confront the attacker and found him dead of an apparent gunshot wound, Klett explained. None of the family members had serious injuries.
Putnam, who died at the scene, was engaged, Klett said trying to hold back tears.
“Last night we lost a good man, a loyal agent and friend,” said the acting chief. “I understood what was needed to monitor a community as diverse as that of San Marcos,” he added.
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