EDINBURG — Police Chief Jaime Ayala said Tuesday’s deadly shooting north of Memorial Middle School was a case of suicide by cop, which has prompted the involved officers to be placed on paid leave.
Ayala revealed during a news conference Thursday afternoon that the suspect, Leroy Villarreal, 36, was intoxicated during the standoff with police, didn’t have a gun on his person as initially thought despite Villarreal telling his girlfriend he was “strapped,” and called the incident a “classic case of suicide by cop.”
Villarreal had an extensive criminal history dating back to 2003 which included evading arrest, assault and possession charges among others.
He added that several Edinburg officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave, “which is standard during critical incidents such as this one.”
Ayala then said there will be two investigations running concurrently.
“The criminal investigation is being handled by the Texas Rangers,” Ayala said. “The administrative investigation will be handled by our internal affairs unit.”
Edinburg police have been reviewing video of the evidence captured at the scene which is where the new details derive from.
Several calls were made regarding a red truck doing donuts in the middle of the road and in a field located on the northside of the middle school, located at 2800 E. Rogers Road.
One caller suggested the driver was possibly intoxicated.
School district police also made calls and said the driver possibly crashed into property near the school and that they were probably armed with a gun as they hid in the bushes.
“We then received a call from the school district as well reporting that the male subject went into a residence north of the school, was highly intoxicated and made death threats that if the police are called he’s ready for them,” Ayala said.
Police managed to make contact with the property owner who said his daughter’s boyfriend showed up at the residence intoxicated and had told Villarreal that police had been called.
Ayala said Villarreal told his girlfriend’s dad that he had a surprise for the police, which prompted him to tell authorities Villarreal owned a gun but was not sure if he had it on him.
Officers said they attempted to make contact with Villarreal who was inside his vehicle parked on the northside of the property and began providing commands, asking him to come out with his hands up.
Crisis negotiators also attempted to contact Villarreal.
“Our negotiators were unable to gain any active communication with him,” Ayala said.
According to the chief, Villarreal responded by driving recklessly again and began to do donuts on the property and the adjacent field only to return where he was originally parked.
It was then that the responding law enforcement agencies created a perimeter to prevent Villarreal from posing a threat to the school and other nearby residents.
“Officers received information from the subject’s girlfriend, who was able to communicate with the subject via telephone while he was barricaded inside the truck and advised and confirmed that he did own a gun,” Ayala said.
He added that she told police Villarreal said he was “strapped,” meaning he had a gun.
The standoff concluded when Villarreal exited his vehicle and moved toward officers in an “aggressive manner” while holding a makeshift shield and an object police believed to have been a weapon.
“As the subject was advancing towards a perimeter officer, several shots were fired by Edinburg police officers stopping the advancing threat,” Ayala said. “With the evidence my team has reviewed, I believe this is a classic case of suicide by cop.”
Ayala said the result wasn’t the department’s desired outcome.
“Resources have been provided to both the officers as well as the Villarreal family,” Ayala said.
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