2022-02-15 1

Jacob Salas Tijerina

Summary

On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, Crisis Intervention Team officers and civilian counselors were sent on a subject making suicidal statements. CIT officer contacted the suspect via telephone, and was met with defensive and hostile language, resulting in the suspect hanging up on the officer.

A phone "ping" was conducted, and determined the possible location for the suspect to be 3808 W. 6th in Amarillo, Potter County, Texas. This location was a tattoo parlor, and the CIT officers discontinued the "ping" thinking that the business line was the one that had been sought. CIT officer spoke with the reporting party to determine the nature of the threats, and the reporting party advised that the suspect was not known to have firearms, but was known to carry a knife. The decision was made to conduct a welfare check for the suspect at the tattoo parlor.

An additional CIT officer and civilian counselor were summoned to the scene to conduct the check. As the officers approached the business, they noted that the tattoo parlor was very busy with patrons and tattoo artists. As the CIT officers and civilian counselors entered the business, they asked for the suspect by the name that was given by the reporting party. The suspect emerged through a wide doorway separating the tattoo shop from a large back room, carrying a black semi-automatic handgun in his left hand.

The officer told him to drop the weapon, and he responded by raising the weapon and pointing it at the officer. The officer discharged his firearm resulting in the incapacitation of the suspect. The officers administered aid, and additional officers and medical personnel were called to the scene. The suspect was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital in critical condition. The suspect remained in the hospital until the time of his death on February 19, 2022.

Unbeknownst to the CIT officers, the suspect was a listed in an on-going sexual assault case against his 14-year-old stepdaughter. The assigned detective for this case contacted him by phone in the morning hours of February 15th, and requested that he come in and speak with them about the case. The suspect delayed the meeting, which was scheduled to have occurred on Thursday, February 17th, 2022.

A warrant was issued for him the following day for the Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child-Victim under the Age of 14, and had he survived his injuries, additional charges of Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon would have been sought for this incident.

Jacob Salas Tijerina

02/19/2022 05:00 AM