The Texas Department of Public Safety trooper shot by a Houston homicide fugitive last month was hit “at least once” in the officer’s bullet-resistant vest.
The new detail is disclosed in a custodial death report DPS filed on Tuesday with the Texas Attorney General’s Office regarding the June 18 shooting death of 41-year-old William Ivan Cedillos in Falfurrias.
DPS, Falfurrias police and other unidentified law enforcement shot and killed Cedillos after he shot at them at approximately 8:21 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and Terry Street.
The custodial death report does not disclose which other law enforcement agencies responded, but a video that circulated on social media of the shooting did show at least one Border Patrol unit. Falfurrias police previously disclosed that one of the department’s officers disabled Cedillos’ vehicle with spike strips and also opened fire.
The report said that Cedillo fled after a trooper attempted to pull him over for a license plate violation.
“When Trooper Olivares asked the driver, William Ivan Cedillos, to exit the vehicle, the driver fled, and Trooper Olivares pursued him,” the report states.
Two other troopers then responded, including one only identified as S. Betancourt, who is the trooper who was shot in the bullet proof vest.
DPS previously declined to identify the trooper, but said Betancourt is stationed out of Corpus Christi.
“During the pursuit, Cedillos traveled at an unsafe speed, drove on the grassy median, and disregarded a US Border Patrol checkpoint,” the report states.
Officers with numerous agencies responded and one of the officers deployed spike strips which successfully disabled Cedillos’ vehicle in Falfurrias, according to the report.
DPS said in the report that troopers approached the vehicle and gave Cedillos comments to exit, which he ignored.
Betancourt then tried to physically remove Cedillos, according to the report.
“Cedillos resisted these efforts and only had a cellular device in his hand,” the report stated. “Cedillos then reached for a gun that was under his leg.”
The report then said Cedillos then fired at Betancourt with “at least one round,” hitting Betancourt’s bullet-resistant vest.
“Trooper Betancourt backed away from the vehicle and returned fire,” the report stated. “The other troopers, along with officers from several agencies, also fired, striking Cedillos.”
He died at the scene while Betancourt was transported to Alice where he was treated for injuries and later released, according to the report.
Had Cedillos survived, DPS would have charged him with evading arrest or detention, unlawful possession of a firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a public servant.
Four days following the shooting, DPS identified Cedillo and said he was wanted in Houston for a charge of homicide.
Authorities there allege that he shot and killed 48-year-old Houston resident Todd Delford Duncan on Oct. 15, 2015, in a room at a Travel Lodge Hotel.
A probable cause affidavit said Cedillo shot Duncan four times in the face with a .380 handgun.
Both Duncan and Cedillo had been staying at the hotel and dating a woman nicknamed “Amber.”
Duncan had kicked “Amber” out after she began using drugs again and he had also been prostituting her, according to an affidavit.
The affidavit said that “Amber” then went to “Mexican Will’s” room, which is Cedillo. He worked at the “420 shop” down the street from the hotel.
“Barbara told Affiant that ‘Mexican Will’ is Amber’s boyfriend. Barbara said to Affiant that Amber had told ‘Mexican Will’ that the store was robbed by ‘Pooh,’ and that she was being pimped out by ‘Pooh’,” the affidavit stated.
“Pooh” was Duncan’s nickname.
A witness told police they saw Cedillo and others, including “Amber,” pull up to Duncan’s room before hearing gunshots. The witness also heard “Amber” tell Cedillos “you did not have to shoot him,” according to the affidavit.
Federal court records indicate that Cedillo was sentenced to federal prison for violating his supervised release in a federal drug case out of San Antonio.
On Nov. 30, 2021, United States District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced Cedillo to a year in the Bureau of Prisons to run consecutively with any cases out of Harris County.
However, it’s not immediately clear why he wasn’t in federal prison, but Harris County court records indicate that Cedillo appeared for a hearing in his murder case in February.
But by March 15, a Harris County judge revoked Cedillos’ $200,000 bond and issued a warrant for his arrest.
He has violated his bond numerous times in Harris County, with his latest violation being for failing to comply with electronic monitoring.
