Pensacola, Fl
Two police officers were killed in McAllen, Texas, while answering the local disturbance call, according to the police chief.
McAllen police chief Victor Rodriguez told a news conference that the suspects shot the officers as they approached the door of a house.
“The officers never had the opportunity to suspect a fatal attack on them, let alone death, at that point in time,” Rodriguez very emotional told reporters.
Rodriguez said that the police department discovered that the officers were shot when two other officers approached the scene to help and saw the officers under the house.
Rodriguez has identified the officers as Idlemero Garza Jr., 45, and Ismail Ismail Chavez, 39. Garza has been with the administration for nearly nine years while Chavez has been in power for about two and a half years, according to Rodriguez.
When the two additional officers arrived, Rodriguez said, he ordered the suspect to drop his gun, but the suspect shot himself and killed himself.
“We are weak at the moment, but our strength and determination to serve our societies, all of us here, will allow us to do what we do every day and what our officers do every day,” Rodriguez said. “In the face of adversity, we rise and serve nonetheless.
McAllen is located in South Texas along the US-Mexico border.
The Texas Attorney General’s office said in a tweet that they would provide any assistance requested by the police. Governor Greg Abbott tweeted that he communicated with Rodriguez and offered his condolences and full support.
