Law Enforcement Today WESLACO, TX – On August 17, a man armed with an AK-47 walked into a Walmart in Weslaco, Texas, and was killed during an exchange of gunfire with responding officers.
The subject involved in yesterday’s Wal-Mart shooting has been identified as 27 year old Marco Antonio Sigala Jr. pic.twitter.com/LnzInNQqYp
— WeslacoPolice (@WeslacoPD) August 18, 2020
The suspect has since been identified as 27-year-old Marco Antonio Sigala Jr. According to reports, it was shortly after 3 p.m. when police received a call that there was a man dressed in black with a rifle inside the Walmart located on Texas Boulevard.
Police Chief Joel Rivera said in a statement:
“We believe the suspect entered the Walmart through the north side entrance, had a confrontation with a customer and ended up pointing a gun at the customer. That is still being corroborated through video and eyewitnesses. He made his way straight east to the back of the store.”
Authorities said that numerous police officers responded to the scene and that roughly two minutes after the phone call, police made contact with Sigala. Chief Rivera said that officers arrived at 3:08 p.m.:
“They gave him orders to throw the gun. He threw the gun on the ground. He refused to show his hands. At some point, he produced a handgun. Officers attempted to resolve the situation with less-than-lethal. The suspect fired at officers and the officers returned fire.”
Rivera also said that in the two minutes between receiving the calls for help and the officers arriving on scene, the customer with whom the gunman had had the alleged confrontation had left the store.
According to authorities, a total of 17 Weslaco police officers and four Hidalgo County deputy constables arrived at Walmart within those first few crucial minutes.
Some officers headed toward the back of the store where the gunman had fled, while others worked to safety evacuate customers and employees.
KEVO reported that an alleged witness, Mercedes resident John Allen, claims that he saw the suspect, Sigala, walk into the store armed with the rifle. KEVO stated that Allen said:
“I was pulling up and I seen a gentleman, young man approximately 25, mid-to-late twenties, carrying an AK-47 into the store.”
Allen continued:
“He was very upset that I stopped him and he was wanting to know who I was, those kinds of things. I said, I was just a soldier and I’m a concerned citizen and you’re not shooting anybody in this store today.”
Sigala died on scene as a result of his gunshot wounds. Responding officers said that the suspect seemed distraught over a medical condition, but that he did not give much detail about it.
Armed suspect dead after officer-involved shooting in Weslaco Walmart.https://t.co/lLTIRzmZlm #krgv #rgv
— KRGV CHANNEL 5 NEWS (@krgv) August 18, 2020
Rivera said that police are still actively investigating what started the incident and identifying the customer Sigala was allegedly speaking with. Rivera said:
“It’s important that the customer comes forward, so that we can speak to him as part of our investigation.”
Rivera added:
“Preliminary indication is that this suspect entered the Walmart and ended up getting into some type of verbal altercation with a customer, pulled a gun, pointed a gun at that particular customer.”
The investigation has been turned over to the Texas Rangers, an investigatory arm of the Texas Department of Public Safety, which often acts as a neutral third party that investigates officer-involved shootings.
No officers were harmed during the incident.
Thank God for the police! To think these Moron’s want to defund them is complete incompetency! Who would have stopped this deranged Killer, a Counselor?? Yeah, right! Enough is enough, why are we still even acknowledging these idiot’s? NO LAW, NO ORDER! No one would be safe, NO ONE! Why is this so hard to understand? My God, just look at Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, New York City! There’s your defunded police program! How do you like the way it’s working so far? Why do we let these idiot’s get away with Murder?