A 38-year-old man who pulled a handgun on a McAllen police officer and shot himself in the hand as officers subdued him has been indicted on a slew of charges, including attempted capital murder of a police officer.
A grand jury indicted Reynaldo Barrera Esquivel Oct. 5 on that charge, as well as on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance over allegations that police found fentanyl and cocaine in the hotel room he had rented.
The incident happened about 11 p.m. Aug. 26 near Ware Road and Business 83 after McAllen police responded to a call about a man who appeared intoxicated and who was possibly armed with a gun and a knife.
The caller told police the man, later identified as Barrera, went into the hotel’s office and had pointed his finger like he was going to shoot. The caller also said he heard a gun cock.
The first officer on scene was Noe Guerra, a 19-year veteran of the department.
According to a police report, Barrera told Guerra “Here we die” before reaching into his front waistline, drawing a handgun and turning toward Guerra.
Dash cam video released by the McAllen Police Department reflects the narrative in the police report for his arrest.
Guerra grabbed Barrera’s wrist and wrestled him to the ground as more officers arrived.
During that struggle, Barrera shot himself in the left hand.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Monday morning.
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