McAllen Police officers investigate a shooting that left two fellow officers dead after they reportedly responded to a disturbance call, Saturday, July 11, 2020, in McAllen, Texas. (Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP)

From the AP:

Two police officers were shot and killed Saturday by a suspect who later fatally shot himself in a South Texas border town after responding to a domestic disturbance call, authorities said.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez identified the slain officers as Edelmiro Garza, 45, and Ismael Chavez, 39. Garza was an officer with the police department for more than eight years while Chavez had over two years of experience.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez, center, pauses for a moment during a news conference near the scene where two of his officers were shot and killed reportedly responding to a disturbance call, Saturday, July 11, 2020, in McAllen, Texas. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP)

“We have lost two brave public servants who sought only to keep peace in our City,” Rodriguez, visibly distraught, told The (McAllen) Monitor.

The officers first met with two people who reported assaults that took place inside a nearby home on the south side of McAllen around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Rodriguez said. But the alleged shooter, whom police identified as 23-year-old Audon Ignacio Camarillo, opened fire when officers attempted to enter the home.

Audon Camarillo
Audon Ignacio Camarillo (Courtesy Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office)

“They were doing their job. That is what they were supposed to do. The person was a suspect of the incident, met our officers at the door, and shot at both officers,” Rodriguez said. “Both officers suffered fatal wounds, they have both passed away as a result. The officers never had a chance to suspect deadly assault on them, much less death.”

Camarillo shot and killed himself shortly after opening fire on the officers, Rodriguez said, adding that the suspect hid behind a vehicle after other officers responded to the scene. Camarillo had a few run-ins with police beginning in 2016 to his most recent arrest last month on assault charges, according to public records.

More details surrounding the domestic disturbance Garza and Chavez responded to were not immediately known. Rodriguez said the attack happened suddenly and fellow police officers didn’t learn of the officers’ deaths until arriving to the area moments later.

Rodriguez said he doesn’t expect his department to get over the deaths of their fellow officers anytime soon.

A McAllen police officer hugs a mourner at McAllen Medical Center, Saturday, July 11, 2020, in McAllen, Texas. Two police officers were shot and killed after reportedly responding to a disturbance call. (Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP)

“The next few days for us, moving forward as well, will be very, very difficult, for ourselves at the department and at the city of McAllen, but our strength will get us through,” the chief said. “We gather our strength from our police officers, and we gather our strengths from our colleagues, as you can see here.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who spoke with Rodriguez, offered the full backing of the state and expressed his support via social media.

“Two of our finest were killed in the line of duty while working to protect residents in their community,” Abbott wrote on Twitter. “We unite to #BackTheBlue.”

Lt. Christopher Olivarez, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said DPS was among the agencies assisting McAllen police on Saturday.

Olivarez noted that DPS sent troopers to secure the scene after the McAllen Police Department requested their assistance. He said his agency received a call about the incident around 4:30 p.m.

McAllen is located at the southern tip of Texas, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted that his office will provide the McAllen Police Department with any help needed.

“Our prayers and full support are with the valiant men and women of the #CityofMcAllen PD this evening,” the tweet read. “We are grateful for police in McAllen and around this great state.”

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen said in a statement that receiving news of the two officers’ deaths was “devastating.”

“This is devastating news to our community. My heart breaks for these fallen officers and their families,” Gonzalez said. “They served McAllen bravely and honorably and I will keep them in my prayers.”

Rodriguez said that while the police are “weakened for the moment,” he expects a resilient law enforcement community to stand tall and persevere through it.

“The strength and the resolve we have to serve our communities, all of us here, will allow us to do what we do every day,” Rodriguez said.

Law enforcement from several cities in Hidalgo County gathered Saturday evening at McAllen Medical to honor Garza and Chavez. More than 50 police cars were part of a procession that accompanied the bodies of the officers, who were taken to Hidalgo County pathology for an autopsy.

51 COMMENTS

  1. Well, the only good news is, Officers Edelmiro Garza, and Ismael Chavez being killed by a Mr. Audon Ignacio Camarillo cannot be labeled as being ‘racist’.

    But they likely will, anyways…

      • Some of the sons of bitching comment must be as dumb as dirt and never had a feeling for anyone or belonged to anything more important than a circle jerk.

        On that subject — this piece of shit should have been in prison. His whole life he would never of amounted to anything and he took away two good men. That you even mention race in this context is super stupid.

  2. No trial, no BS about him being a good boy, no jail costs, no medical costs, no prison costs, no million dollars o appeals,no burial expenses.

    • No, we’ll still hear about how he was just a misunderstood Dreamer, upset that he couldn’t finish his degree because covid shut his campus doen,

  3. “Finest”. A community college degree, a 92 IQ, and a huge ego equal “finest”, apparently.

  4. Rest assured some people had a heads up on the perp and failed to pass it along. Problem is there is always some pos somewhere to take the place of the deceased perp. By all accounts these were 2 good police officers and one confirmed evil perp. Too bad some people on this forum are so full of media manure they just cannot stop themselves from bringing race to the table.

    • You are right God Bless the familys of the slain officers & God Bless and protect all of our police that are under attack from the Evil of this world.

  5. Sad. very sad. The utopians will never give up their dream of eliminating the police entirely from society.

    • If crime isn’t reported, then it never happened.

      This is why the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc were supposedly crime free.

  6. A terrible tragedy.

    Have to ask if some level of body armor was the norm in that department, if it was worn and if not, could it have helped in this specific case?

  7. They slipped up….. should’ve been on guard… when dealing with illegal aliens that don’t belong in this country, ANYTHING can happen…. a quick glance online will provide all the proof you need to see how these animals treat each other in their home countries…

  8. RIP…one wonder’s if the lunatics wanting social worker’s(!) to intervene in domestic disturbances “get” how dangerous these situations are.

    • Bullshit. Criminality has existed since the first human picked up a rock, whacked the human next to him to steal his food, woman, or cave. Right and left wing politics, western capitalist democracy or Marxist-Leninist thought all came along tens of thousands of years after the invention of crime.

      • Bite me commie. Commmunism needs to be destroyed at all levels but some stupid people think it’s a really good thing. Let them live in the real Russia, China or North Korea for a few years and their heads will come out of their butts.

      • There can not be a crime without the existence of LAWS…. there were ZERO laws in your caveman scenario. In point of fact, when using that rock that caveman WAS following the laws of the time…. just not the “morality” veneer that “modern man” has tried to force everyone to live with. Cavemen still exist, the proof is before you…. only the tools they use have changed.

  9. AP headline:

    Two police officers were shot and killed Saturday by a suspect who later fatally shot himself in a South Texas border town after responding to a domestic disturbance call, authorities said.

    I can’t figure out why the suspect was responding to a domestic disturbance call… The suspect shot himself after responding to a domestic service call… Oh, they mean the police officers?

  10. “Camarillo had a few run-ins with police beginning in 2016 to his most recent arrest last month on assault charges, according to public records…”

    I wonder if the most recent arrest was domestic violence.

  11. Domestic disturbance calls are one of the most dangerous calls an officer can go on. I have had a number of friends seriously injured and even killed as this two brave men were . I personally believe the current Anti-Police culture in our nation is making officers hesitant to draw or even resort to their arms when they should. These people are there to the the things many can’t, not everyone can act when necessary. To be a Law Officer is a calling just like the Ministry. And even the Ministry has it’s share of bad apples. The silent majority needs to speak out before we find ourselves being the only buffer between the bad things and ourselves and our loved ones. GOD bless these fallen heros and may HE salve the pained hearts of their loved ones.

  12. God Bless & Comfort the family’s of these two fallen officers, The dirtbag then kills himself, Lord protect our police all over America as they are being targeted by the Evil NWO I don’t understand why these officers didn’t have body armor on?? Unless the dirtbag shot them in the heads, Very sad, All God fearing Americans Must start standing up too these socialist dirtbags

  13. If he had lived and if I were on that jury, the only thing I would have found him guilty of was littering, followed by a $50 fine.

    • People ask me how I can identify a paid troll. It isn’t that hard. Never here before. Tries to provoke and never seen again unless he gets a reaction. In a site that uses Disqus just look at the post count. They create a user name and post under it for a day or two and then create another one.

      This is just an informational post.

  14. What a waste. Absolutely pointless. Next time shoot yourself first jackass. Damn shame about the officers.

Comments are closed.