A commissioner of the Texas city lost his life as he was shot in exchange gunfire with the police and a sheriff's deputy who had responded to a call for a domestic disturbance at his home, according to authorities.
The officers who responded to the call late on Thursday at the Sullivan City Commissioner Gabriel Salinas' house in Mission found his 39-year-old girlfriend with severe wound done by knife or machete and her four-year-old son having a head injury, stated Robert Dominguez, the police chief in Mission, which sits by the Mexico border not far from the southern tip of Texas.
Texas Commissioner Dies in Gunbattle
They then had an encounter with Salinas, who opened fire which made the officers fire back, as reported by Fox News. Salinas then barricaded himself inside the home and after few hours of failed attempts of contacting him, officers sent in a robot that found him dead in a bedroom, as stated by the police chief.
"As far as I know right now, it was not a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I think that he died as a result of being hit in the transfer of fire," Dominguez said. The woman was injured critically but was expected to recover. Her son got treated and was released. Dominguez mentioned that an autopsy is going to determine whether Salinas was under any kind of influence involving alcohol or drugs.
The officials at the Hidalgo County sheriff did not give any response as the Texas Rangers are currently investigating the incident. Dominguez stated that Salinas got arrested in September on assault charge with the same woman, but was dismissed as the woman could not pursue the charge. Even though Salinas stayed in Mission, he can be a city commissioner of the Sullivan City as the Texas law allows the usage of only a mailing address while filing for the office.
