Sandy MaloneWeslaco, TX – Police fatally shot a man inside a Texas Walmart on Monday night after another shopper confronted the gunman and he shot at responding officers.
The incident began just after 3 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Walmart located on the corner of Texas Boulevard and Frontage Road, KVEO reported.
“I was pulling up and I seen a gentleman, young man approximately 25 mid to late twenties, carrying an AK-47 into the store,” John Allen said.
Allen said he approached the armed man dressed entirely in black.
“He was very upset that I stopped him, and he was wanting to know who I was, those kinds of things,” the good Samaritan told KVEO. “I said I was just a soldier, and I’m concerned citizen and you’re not shooting anybody in this store today.”
Somebody called 911 and reported the man with the rifle inside the Walmart, and law enforcement officers from all over the area rushed to the store, the Brownsville Herald reported.
Weslaco Police Chief Joel Rivera said 17 Weslaco officers and 4 Hidalgo County deputy constables responded to the scene in the Walmart, The Monitor reported.
From Weslaco PD: Please avoid Walmart on North Texas Boulevard at this time.
Weslaco police will provide an update as soon as possible.
— City of Weslaco (@WeslacoCity) August 17, 2020
Multiple people reported what was happening on social media and said the store was quickly evacuated after the gunman was spotted.
“The suspect entered the Walmart through the north side entrance, had a confrontation with a customer. Ended up pointing a gun at pointed a gun at the customer. That’s still being corroborated through video and eyewitnesses. He made his way straight east to the back of the store,” Chief Rivera said, according to KVEO.
Chief Rivera said the first police officers to arrive on the scene made contact with the armed man about two minutes after they received the first 911 call about him.
He said the shooter had more than one weapon, KVEO reported.
“They gave him orders to throw the gun,” the police chief explained. “He threw the gun on the ground. He refused to show his hands. At some point he produced a handgun.”
HAPPENING NOW: We have reports of a shooting in Weslaco, Texas at Walmart Supercenter. https://t.co/M41YkvurjE
— KABB FOX 29 (@KABBFOX29) August 17, 2020
He said officers attempted to de-escalate the situation but weren’t successful, KVEO reported.
“Officers attempted to resolve the situation with less than lethal. The suspect fired at officers and the officers returned fire,” Chief Rivera told reporters.
The suspect sustained multiple gunshot wounds as a result of the exchange of gunfire, KVEO reported.
He was declared dead at the scene. Nobody else was injured in the shootout.
BREAKING UPDATE: ⚠️ Man Armed with a Rifle inside a #Texas Walmart has been killed by police; no other victims reported. #Weslaco pic.twitter.com/2aqD9LenAR
— SV News 🚨 (@SVNewsAlerts) August 17, 2020
Officers said that the suspect was “very distraught, very irate concerning a medical issue” but didn’t provide detail, The Monitor reported.
The incident involving a shooting at Walmart on N. Texas is still under investigation. Media, a press conference will be held at the Academy parking lot in WESLACO at 4:30.
— WeslacoPolice (@WeslacoPD) August 17, 2020
Police identified the gunman as 27-year-old Marco Antonio Sigala, KENS reported.
Holly Matkin
