February 05, 2012

Texas cops: Boy shot by officer had scissors

Officer Javier Sambrano, a police spokes man, said the teenager will be facing a charge of aggravated assault on a public servant

By Daniel Borunda
El Paso Times

EL PASO, Texas — A 15-year-old boy shot by police on Tuesday allegedly threatened an officer with a pair of metallic scissors when he was shot in the upper arm and in the lower leg, police officials said Thursday.

The El Paso Police Department continues to investigate the shooting, which occurred during a foot chase after an afternoon beer run in South-Central El Paso.

The officer involved in the shooting, Sgt. Alonzo Torres, was placed on administrative duty pending the results of an investigation.

On Thursday, police officials confirmed that Torres was also the police officer who shot and killed a mountain lion last summer at the H&H Car Wash when the wild animal attempted to flee after running around Downtown El Paso.

The boy who was shot is in stable condition at University Medical Center. His name has not been released because he is a juvenile.

Officer Javier Sambrano, a police spokes man, said the teenager will be facing a charge of aggravated assault on a public servant. Police said the boy was running after a beer theft and had thrown a bottle at Torres' police car before the sergeant caught up to the boy in an alley off Blanco Avenue, where the shooting took place.

Because the incident is still under investigation, officials declined to reveal the number of rounds fired and the distance between the teenager and Torres.

When deadly force is necessary, police are taught not to fire a warning shot or to wound an arm or leg.

"It's going to be very hard in any type of situation that the shot will go to center mass (or the chest)," Sambrano said. "People are moving. So, it's not unlikely that a person will be shot in an arm or a leg. You are talking about a situation that is a life-or-death situation. It is certainly not something that is still. It is an active situation where both the officer and the suspect are moving."