ELMENDORF, Texas (AP) — The police chief of a small Texas town was killed Saturday while attempting to arrest a man on a warrant, authorities said.
Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau told The Associated Press that Elmendorf Police Chief Michael Pimentel was making a stop to serve an active misdemeanor warrant for graffiti, when the suspect fired, hitting the chief several times.
Pimentel was airlifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, she said.
Pamerleau said the 24-year-old suspect was taken into custody “without incident” and will face a charge of capital murder of a police officer.
Elmendorf, with a population of about 1,500, is about 25 miles southeast of San Antonio.
“It’s a very small town. Everybody knows each other,” Pamerleau said, adding that the impact has been “devastating.”
Elmendorf Mayor Evelyn Lykins said in a news release that Pimentel had served as police chief for more than a year.
“He embraced the community of Elmendorf not only as its head of law enforcement officer but also as a resident. We will miss him,” the mayor said.
Steve McCraw, head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Pimentel is the fifth law enforcement officer to die in Texas this year. Three of the five were killed by gunfire. Thirteen officers died in the line of duty last year.
“Every day police officers throughout the state risk their lives to protect their communities, and tragically sometimes they make the ultimate sacrifice,” McCraw said.
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