Page 26 - bon-dia-aruba-20200713

A26 U.S. NEWS
Monday 13 July 2020
2 officers, suspect killed in Texas border town shooting

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — backing of the state and
Two police officers were expressed his support via
shot and killed Saturday social media.
by a suspect who later fa- "Two of our finest were killed
tally shot himself in a South in the line of duty while
Texas border town after working to protect residents
responding to a domestic in their community," Abbott
disturbance call, authori- wrote on Twitter. "We unite
ties said. to #BackTheBlue."
McAllen Police Chief Vic- Lt. Christopher Olivarez,
tor Rodriguez identified the spokesman for the Texas
slain officers as Edelmiro Department of Public Safe-
Garza, 45, and Ismael ty, said DPS was among the
Chavez, 39. Garza was an agencies assisting McAllen
officer with the police de- police on Saturday.
partment for more than Olivarez noted that DPS
eight years while Chavez sent troopers to secure the
had over two years of ex- scene after the McAllen Po-
perience. "We have lost lice Department requested
two brave public servants their assistance. He said
who sought only to keep his agency received a call
peace in our City," Rodri- about the incident around
guez, visibly distraught, told 4:30 p.m. McAllen is lo-
The (McAllen) Monitor. cated at the southern tip of
The officers first met with Texas, about 70 miles (113
two people who reported kilometers) west of the Gulf
assaults that took place People salute as the body of a McAllen Police officer is carried out at McAllen Medical Center, of Mexico.
inside a nearby home on Saturday, July 11, 2020, in McAllen, Texas. Texas Attorney General Ken
the south side of McAllen Associated Press Paxton tweeted that his of-
around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, wounds, they have both arrest last month on as- their fellow officers anytime fice will provide the McAl-
Rodriguez said. But the al- passed away as a result. sault charges, according soon. "The next few days len Police Department with
leged shooter, whom po- The officers never had a to public records. More for us, moving forward as any help needed.
lice identified as 23-year- chance to suspect deadly details surrounding the do- well, will be very, very dif- "Our prayers and full sup-
old Audon Ignacio Ca- assault on them, much less mestic disturbance Garza ficult, for ourselves at the port are with the valiant
marillo, opened fire when death." and Chavez responded department and at the city men and women of the
officers attempted to enter Camarillo shot and killed to were not immediately of McAllen, but our strength #CityofMcAllen PD this
the home. himself shortly after open- known. Rodriguez said the will get us through," the evening," the tweet read.
"They were doing their job. ing fire on the officers, Ro- attack happened sudden- chief said. "We gather our "We are grateful for police
That is what they were sup- driguez said, adding that ly and fellow police officers strength from our police in McAllen and around this
posed to do. The person the suspect hid behind a didn't learn of the officers' officers, and we gather great state."
was a suspect of the inci- vehicle after other officers deaths until arriving to the our strengths from our col- U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez
dent, met our officers at responded to the scene. area moments later. leagues, as you can see of McAllen said in a state-
the door, and shot at both Camarillo had a few run- Rodriguez said he doesn't here." Texas Gov. Greg ment that receiving news
officers," Rodriguez said. ins with police beginning expect his department Abbott, who spoke with of the two officers' deaths
"Both officers suffered fatal in 2016 to his most recent to get over the deaths of Rodriguez, offered the full was "devastating." q

Maryland governor says GOP needs 'bigger tent' after Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — A becoming a bigger tent The governor pointed to his
Republican governor ru- party?'" 2018 reelection as a model,
mored to be eyeing a run The rebuke was a rar- when he won in deep-blue
for the White House in 2024 ity from Republicans, who Maryland by almost 12 per-
said Sunday that the GOP have largely been afraid centage points "by reach-
needs to be a "bigger tent to criticize a president still ing out, by trying to find
party" after President Don- popular with the GOP rank- that middle ground where
ald Trump leaves office. and-file despite questions people can stand togeth-
Maryland's Larry Hogan, about how he has handled er" and by eschewing "divi-
who has been known to the COVID-19 pandemic. sive rhetoric." He also noted
break with Trump, told Hogan did not rule out vot- that he did well with subur-
NBC's "Meet the Press" that ing for Joe Biden, the Dem- ban women, a group that
he doesn't "know what the ocrat challenging Trump in polls suggest has largely
future holds in November." the November election. In abandoned Trump.
"But I know that the Re- 2016, Hogan wrote in the Hogan also raised ques-
publican Party is going to name of his father, a former tions with Trump's decision
be looking at what hap- Republican congressman on Friday to commute the
pens after President Trump from Maryland. sentence of longtime politi-
and whether that's in four "It's a difficult choice," he cal ally, Roger Stone, who
months or four years," said. "I think most people had been convicted of ly-
In this June 3, 2020 file photo, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan
announces he will lift an order that closed non-essential Hogan said. "And I think would like to see something ing to help the president,
businesses during a news conference in Annapolis, Md. they're going to be looking different, and maybe we'll and said "it's certainly go-
Associated Press to, 'How do we go about figure that out in 2024." ing to hurt politically."q