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The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting incident in Weslaco on Wednesday morning after a deputy discharged his firearm and struck a man in the leg.
The deputy, who has yet to be identified, was in the process of initiating a traffic stop around 9:08 a.m. in the area of Tower and Owassa roads as part of a narcotics investigation that resulted in a vehicle pursuit, according to a sheriff’s news release issued Wednesday morning.
“The suspect vehicle initially stopped but then sped away at a high rate of speed, almost hitting the deputies as they approached the driver,” the sheriff’s office said in a Wednesday afternoon release. “This led to a pursuit with the suspect vehicle, which eventually lost control and crashed into a ditch west of FM 88 on Mile 13 North Road in rural Weslaco, Texas.”
He attempted to approach the vehicle, which had crashed west of Farm-to-Market Road 88 on Mile 13 North, when he heard “what sounded like gunshots,” stated the morning release.
On Wednesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said the deputies approaching the vehicle “heard several sounds resembling gunshots, prompting one of the deputies to fire his weapon, hitting the male passenger in the leg.”
The passenger, who had been advised to show his hands, was shot in the leg by the deputy, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday morning.
“Deputies immediately provided medical assistance to the injured suspect, who was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The suspect is currently in stable condition,” the afternoon release stated. “The driver of the vehicle was also transported to the hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.”
The sheriff’s office has not yet identified the driver or passenger, but said they will face several charges when released from the hospital, including evading arrest, assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest. Additionally, the sheriff’s office said the passenger had a warrant for possession of a controlled substance and assault.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
