LAREDO, Texas (AP) — South Texas police say a man fatally shot by officers over the weekend was armed with a pellet gun replica of a semi-automatic handgun.
Laredo Police Chief Ray Garner says the six officers who shot at 30-year-old Jose Walter Garza have been placed on administrative leave, pending an internal investigation.
A police spokesman says authorities received an emergency call Saturday about a man with a gun at the West Laredo truck stop. He says officers negotiated with Garza for about five minutes before the shooting. The spokesman says an officer fired the first shot before Garza pointed his weapon at the officers.
It’s unclear how many times officers shot Garza. He died at the scene.
Police have not released the officers’ names.
