Investigation Continues into Texas Shooting

Police continue to investigate an officer involved fatal shooting inside the Linda Vista Apartment complex in the 1500 block of Magruder.

The call originally came in at 8 p.m. Sunday as an unknown problem, but when police arrived they saw a bleeding man with a gun through a window.

El Paso Police Chief Richard Wiles said officers confronted Steven Salguero, 29, with deadly force at his home because they thought he had a gun.

But, according to Salguero's father, his son had mental problems and his father said this wasn't the first time his son had a mental breakdown involving police.

Wiles said Emergency Medical Services were first to arrive at Steven Salguero's apartment Sunday night after his neighbor called because Salguero was bleeding.

"They attempted to make contact with the deceased, but he refused their assistance and threatened them that he had a weapon, a handgun," Wiles said.

Wiles said officers arrived soon after. They tried to make contact with Salguero and Wiles said they tried to shock him when he came out of his back patio door.

"The subject at one time had gone to the back sliding glass window and was yelling threats to the officers and was smearing the window with blood so they couldn't see inside," Wiles said.

In a statement from the El Paso police, officers said they instructed Salguero to exit his apartment so they could subdue him with a Taser gun. Officials said Salguero did not follow officers' instructions, so they entered the apartment with guns drawn. Salguero met officers by immediately attacking them with bleach.

"They went in through the front door, they were confronted by the subject who splashed the officers with a liquid substance that we believe to be bleach," Wiles said.

The closest officer to Salguero, Officer Jorge Garcia, a three-year veteran of the force, received the brunt of the attack while other officers were also exposed. Garcia said immediately felt the effects of the bleach as a strong burning sensation on his face and impaired vision.

Garcia, who said he believed he would become incapacitated, said he feared for his life as well as the lives of his fellow officers. At that time, Garcia fired two rounds from a shotgun, fatally striking Mr. Salguero in the chest and left arm.

Garcia is now on paid administrative leave pending the investigation results.

Wiles said the reason officers went in with their guns drawn instead of their Taser guns or batons is because they had received reports from EMS that Salguero had a gun. But when KFOX spoke with Salguero's father, he said his son doesn't have a gun.

"There was no gun, Steven does not own a gun, doesn't even know how to use a gun," said Arthur Salguero, father of Steven Salguero.

Wiles confirmed police never found a handgun inside Salguero's apartment. Wiles also said this isn't the first time officers have been called to deal with Salguero and said Salguero tried to commit suicide on March 19 .

"The officers entered his residence, found him unconscious and had him taken for medical treatment," Wiles said.

Salguero's father said he believes his son's mental illness contributed to him acting the way he did and he said he still can't believe his 29-year-old son is dead.

"The fact that my son is dead because of something that some officer mistook," he said.

Arthur Salguero said his son was released from a mental hospital about a month ago.

Wiles said his officers are trained to deal with mentally ill patients. Wiles said because Steven Salguero said he had a gun, they had to use deadly force.

Wiles said the shooting is being reviewed by the Department Shooting Review Team for possible administration violations, and he said Crimes Against Persons Division is looking into the criminal aspects of the case. The district attorney's office is also investigating.

Wiles said his department is taking these investigations seriously and won't leave anything out.