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MISSION — The police department here, alongside city officials, held a press conference Tuesday morning regarding a police shooting that occurred Saturday that sent one officer to the hospital and left the suspect in critical condition.
At about 10:25 a.m., Mission police Sergeant Adrian Alejandro, a 16-year veteran at the police department, was patrolling the 5200 block of S. Farm-to-Market Road 494 when he encountered a man wielding a shotgun.
The suspect, who was on foot, shot at Alejandro, striking him in his lower torso following an interview, according to Mission Police Chief Cesar Torres.
“Our sergeant returned fire and struck the individual two times on the torso as well,” Torres said at the press conference.
Both Alejandro and the suspect were taken to the hospital where Alejandro remains in stable condition.
The suspect on the other hand is in critical condition.
Torres added that there are currently two ongoing investigations: one with the Texas Rangers and another internal investigation with Mission police.
Torres said he was proud of his staff for their response that morning, stating that his officers have been trained in de-escalation, which has helped minimize similar incidents.
Police have not yet identified the suspect.
In an interview, Torres added that they don’t know as to why Alejandro was in the area as they haven’t had a chance to talk to him or the suspect due to their hospitalizations.
“That kind of information will not be disclosed at this time because we have not interviewed either one of them,” Torres said. “We have not interviewed our sergeant, we have not interviewed the suspect due to their status at the hospital, so it’s very difficult to give you more than that.”
Torres thanked local law enforcement agencies and their police chiefs, including Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra, who have been offering their assistance since learning of the shooting.
He also thanked Mission residents who have been sending “endless prayers” to the police department’s social media pages.
The conference concluded with an invitation to BT. Church for a gathering on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. to pray for Alejandro and fellow law enforcement officers. Details of the gathering will be posted on the Mission Police Department’s social media pages.
