Tragedy struck the typically quiet Upper Valley neighborhood in El Paso when a domestic disturbance call escalated into a deadly shooting incident on Sunday afternoon. According to the El Paso Times, two officers responded to a report of a family fight around 3:15 p.m. at a residence on the 6400 block of Paso Via Street. The situation rapidly deteriorated when a male suspect, who has since been identified as Hispanic by the authorities, fired upon the officers as they approached the home.
The officers were quick to return fire, a devastating exchange that ultimately led to the wounding of a female officer and the death of the suspect. The wounded officer was transported to University Medical Center and is reported to be in stable condition, KFOX-TV relayed from El Paso Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Robert Gomez. As for the suspect, he succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital after being struck during the shootout.
Neighborhood residents were caught off guard by the incident, with one local, Ricardo Torres, expressing his shock to KFOX-TV, "I opened the app and saw the street and I was like oh my god this right here next to us." Meanwhile, William Ennis mistook the commotion for Border Patrol activity, telling KFOX-TV, "At first I figured it was Border Patrol, because it was really low, but the more I was looking at the helicopter the more I saw it was a police copter."
Police have since cordoned off the road to general traffic, and the area is expected to stay closed until at least Monday morning. Residents will be permitted to return to the neighborhood on a case-by-case basis, KTSM reported.
