Chief: Officer justifed in use of deadly force against knife-wielding man

McALLEN — A 14-year police veteran is back at work after he shot a man who allegedly was wielding two butcher knives and charged at officers after a domestic dispute late Sunday night.

Officer Richard Villarreal fired one shot at Carlos Esquivel after he allegedly failed to put down the two knives while officers tried to quell a domestic disturbance about midnight Sunday at 904 Redwood Ave., No. 1.

Esquivel, 47, allegedly assaulted officers as they tried to enter his apartment while responding to a report of a dispute with his 50-year-old wife.

The wife’s 30-year-old daughter had called police after an argument over money turned violent, police said.

Esquivel, who appeared to have been drinking, refused to put the knives down inside the apartment and police pulled his wife outside to interview her, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said.

Moments later, Esquivel closed in on officers as they told him to drop his weapons. When the suspect was about 10 feet away and moving in, Villarreal fired one shot that struck Esquivel in the abdomen.

After the shooting, emergency crews rushed Esquivel to McAllen Medical Center. He remained there in stable condition Monday afternoon.

Upon his release, Esquivel will face either attempted murder or aggravated assault against a peace officer charges, Rodriguez said.

Police continue to investigate the case, which will be turned over to the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors will present the facts before a grand jury, which will decide whether further charges may be brought against Esquivel — or the officer.

“The grand jury will have the final say in this,” Rodriguez said. “In this business, in regards to these things, nobody stands on their own.”

Esquivel is a Guatemalan national previously deported from the U.S., the chief said. His previous arrest record extends from McAllen to Arizona on drug and assault charges.

Witnesses told investigators that Esquivel’s demeanor was careless and that his knife-toting attack on officers may have been an attempt to commit suicide at the hands of police.

Villarreal met with a counselor after the incident and was cleared to return to work on Monday.

Peace officers are routinely trained to aim for a dangerous suspect’s torso — known to cops as the “center of mass” — when firing their weapons. Villarreal followed that training late Sunday night, the chief said.

“Obviously, it’s a stressful moment for all who were involved in these situations,” Rodriguez said. “It’s the type of thing you prepare for doing this work, but you hope it never happens. It's a test of your ability when it does happen this way.”

Sunday night’s shooting was the first time a McAllen police officer fired his weapon and struck a suspect since May 2006, when officers killed Arthur Ramirez, who had killed his wife and another man at a housewarming party on the city’s northeast side.

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Jared Taylor covers courts, law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.