By Jacob Fischler
The Monitor
SAN JUAN — An Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputy shot a man three times while responding to a “violent domestic dispute” early Saturday morning at the man’s house north of San Juan.
Three deputies found a man and a woman involved in a violent confrontation outside the home while responding to a call of a domestic dispute at the home on the 900 block of San Martin Street north of San Juan at 3:30 a.m. Saturday, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino.
The man was wielding a baseball bat and a long knife, Trevino said.
One deputy was able to pull the woman away to safety, while the other two attempted to distract and disarm the man. They ordered the man to drop his weapons, and when he refused, a deputy discharged pepper spray at him.
Undeterred by the spray, the man took a step toward one deputy.
The other deputy — who was standing off to the side — then fired his gun at the man three times, hitting him in the left arm, hip and stomach.
The man is in the custody of Sheriff’s deputies at McAllen Medical Center. His wounds are not life-threatening, Trevino said. Criminal charges will be filed against him.
The woman — who is married to the man — is cooperating with the investigation.
Four children — all younger than age 13 — were in the home at the time.
The deputy who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative leave with pay while two internal investigations into the incident are conducted — a standard policy at the Sheriff’s Office when a deputy is involved in a shooting. One internal investigation will seek to determine if the deputy followed Texas law, while the other is focused on whether he followed the Sheriff’s Office’s own policies.
The deputy has been with the Sheriff’s Office for about three years. No disciplinary actions against him have been recorded, the sheriff said.
The man “demolished” the inside of the home with a baseball bat and a hammer, Trevino said. Personal belongings were scattered in front of the house when deputies arrived.
“He just went berserk,” the sheriff said.
Authorities are not releasing the names of the man, woman or the deputies involved while the investigation is pending.
Copyright 2013 The Monitor