McAllen police shot a 29-year-old Palmview man three times early Sunday morning after they say he threw bricks at officers responding to a burglary call.
In a news release, McAllen police say they shot Rodolfo Rivera in the upper right shoulder, right arm and upper left leg. As of Sunday morning, police say he was in serious condition at a local hospital.
The shooting happened after police responded to a burglay in progress at 3:40 a.m. in the 400 block of North Ninth Street after the reporting person called polcie to say “someone is trying to break into the front door and there is a fire in the back door,” according to law enforcement.
The person who called police said the suspect was “unknown” and “outside” and that “she [is] with her mom and grandma inside the residence” and that the “alarm is going off and windows are being broken.”
Police arriving at the scene confirmed the burglary and put out the fire at the door with a water hose and then searched for the suspect, who had left the scene.
Officers also reported that the person who called police suffered a “small cut.” The woman told authorities that “she possibly cut the suspect with some scissors.”
Police found the suspect at 3:58 a.m. “running north bound by 10th and Sycamore Street,” according to the release.
Authorities say Rivera then tried to enter a liquor store and set off a burglary alarm.
“The suspect then turned towards responding officers and began ‘throwing bricks’ striking and shattering the front windshield of a police unit,” the release stated. “The suspect, charged at one officer throwing unknown projectiles. The Officer was struck on the right side of his head and fearing further harm, discharged his weapon multiple times at the suspect.”
Police say the responding officer suffered injuries to his head but didn’t require emergency medical care. Police say the officer who shot Rivera is a 13-year veteran of the department named Marcos Jimenez.
Police say Rivera has 14 previous charges, including assault with bodily injury, DWI, drug possession, theft, and evading and resisting arrest.
