The Mission Police Officer Killed Thursday Was The Station's First Death In More Than 40 Years
MISSION, TX (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) — A Texas police officer who'd been featured on the A&E show "Live PD" has been killed in a shooting, becoming his police department's first officer lost in the line of duty since 1978.
Cpl. Jose "Speedy" Espericueta, an officer in the city of Mission near the Mexico border, was responding to an assistance call from another officer Thursday night, police Chief Robert Dominguez said during a press conference Friday. A woman had waved down police, saying her son had shot at her car, he said.
When Espericueta arrived, he saw the son, later identified as Juan Carlos Chapa Jr., walking and attempted to make contact with him. Chapa began to run, then turned around and started firing at Espericueta, hitting him, police said.
The officer, with the help of others who had responded, exchanged gunfire with the 33-year-old man, Dominguez said.
Espericueta was transported to McAllen Medical Center, where he later died.
Chapa, who had also been hit, was pronounced dead at another McAllen hospital.
A previous report from a public information officer at the scene said Chapa was taken into custody, but this was later corrected by authorities.
The Texas Rangers are now investigating the incident, the chief said.
(The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company contributed to this report. All rights reserved.)