El Paso Times
EL PASO, Texas — El Paso police officials said an investigation continues into the off-duty police shooting that left a man critically wounded.
Police spokesman Detective Mike Baranyay said many of the details of the incident have not been revealed because the investigation is still ongoing and witnesses are still being interviewed.
“All initial indications from the administrative and the criminal investigation indicate the officer was within policy and within state law while acting in defense of a third person,” Baranyay said.
“The criminal case once it is completed will be presented to a grand jury for a review.”
This is what Baranyay has described so far:
At 3:41 p.m. April 1, a yellow Pontiac driven by 20-year-old Andres Elias Cortez rear-ended a gold sport utility vehicle on Gateway West near the Yarbrough intersection in East El Paso.
Two off-duty police officers -- Michelle Gonzalez and Jorge Gonzalez -- were in the SUV. Police have not disclosed who was driving nor the relationship of the officers, except to say they are not related.
The officers were in street clothes and got out of their vehicle to check for damage when Cortez allegedly tried to flee and hit Michelle Gonzalez, causing her to fall to the ground and she was pinned by the car.
Police said Cortez began backing up. Jorge Gonzalez, who verbally identified himself as a police officer, gave him orders to stop. After backing up, the driver appeared to begin moving forward again with Michelle Gonzalez still in the path of the vehicle.
According to police, Jorge Gonzalez feared for the woman’s safety and fired one round from a handgun, hitting Cortez in the neck.
Michelle Gonzalez was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, but police have not specified the extent of those injuries.
Jorge Gonzalez has been with the Police Department for five years and is assigned to the Center Regional Command.
He was placed on administrative duty until the internal investigation in complete.
Michelle Gonzalez has been a police officer for seven years and works at the Pebble Hills Regional Command.
Copyright 2010 El Paso Times