A suspect accused of killing a Texas SWAT officer during a standoff earlier this month was additionally charged Friday with assaulting a federal officer who responded to the scene.
Omar Soto-Chavira, 22, allegedly fired multiple times at officers during the hours-long July 15 standoff at a house in Levelland, Texas, near Lubbock, killing Lubbock County sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Bartlett.
Soto-Chavira is accused of wounding three other officers in the incident. Levelland police Sgt. Shawn Wilson remained hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head during the standoff, federal prosecutors said.
TEXAS SWAT COMMANDER KILLED, 3 OTHER OFFICERS WOUNDED IN STANDOFF; SUSPECT ARRESTED
Bartlett, who commanded the SWAT team, was shot in the neck soon after arriving and pronounced dead at a hospital.
Omar Soto-Chavira is charged in the fatal shooting of a SWAT officer in Texas, prosecutors say. (Lubbock County Detention Center via Associated Press)
Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said in a news release that if Soto-Chavira were to post the $500,000 bond set in the state case, he would be transferred to federal custody, where criminal defendants can be detained without bond.
Soto-Chavira bonded out of jail just four days before the standoff after being accused of assaulting family members, KAMC-TV of Lubbock, reported. Texas has seen a rise in crimes by defendants out on bond – and earlier this month the state Senate passed a bond reform bill aimed at addressing the problem.
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The nearly 11-hour standoff between the defendant and law enforcement started after someone reported a man as possibly armed along a street, authorities have said.
Fox News’ Paul Best and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
