The man who was shot and killed Sunday after a standoff with law enforcement near San Benito allegedly tied up a cashier and robbed a Weslaco store earlier that day.
The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office confirmed via social media about 4:08 p.m.Sunday that Precinct 5 constables shot and killed John McCommas, a 41-year-old Harlingen resident, after he fired shots at pursuing law enforcement officers.
A standoff had ensued after the vehicle stopped at Farm-to-Market Road 2520 and Ricardo Avenue in San Benito.
On Monday, Weslaco police said in a news release that the agency’s officers responded to a Cricket Wireless store at 515 E. Interstate Highway 2 about 12:58 p.m. Sunday regarding an aggravated robbery.
“Responding officers learned that a few minutes before the call for service, the cashier had been tied up and robbed at gunpoint by an unknown male,” the release said. “The unidentified male was described as bald, black shirt and beige shorts who had fled minutes before the call for service was placed.”
Police said McCommas took an undetermined amount of cash and the victim’s 2011 Red Dodge Charger.
While processing the scene, Weslaco police learned of the vehicle pursuit and that shots were being fired.
Weslaco police “later confirmed the vehicle and the driver were those linked to the aggravated robbery in Weslaco,” the release stated.
The Weslaco Police Department was not involved in the vehicle pursuit or gunfire exchange, according to the release.
