EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 30-year-old man is dead after he attempted to jump over a barrier on Interstate 10 on Sunday morning, July 13, became combative with El Paso Police officers and later had a stun gun deployed on him, El Paso Police said Monday, July 14 in an update.
Police said Xavier Guadalupe Hernandez, 30, died in the incident which began at about 10 a.m. Sunday along Interstate 10 near Yarbrough.
Police originally said they responded to a traffic hazard that turned out to be a pedestrian in the roadway. A Fire Department spokesperson said Sunday that the pedestrian was transported with serious injuries.
In their update, police said that Hernandez attemped to jump over a barrier on the highway.
When police arrived, Hernandez became uncooperative and resisted officers’ commands, police said.
A stun gun was deployed and was ineffective, police said.
Another officer and a witness helped to subdue the man. Hernandez became unresponsive and officers performed CPR on him, police said.
The man was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead, despite efforts to revive him.
The El Paso Police Department has started an internal review with the Crimes Against Persons Unit and an independent review with Texas Rangers as part of the standard protocol when a death occurs in connection with a police interaction.
The El Paso Police Department is working to provide accurate and timely information as it becomes available, it said.
“The El Paso Police Department understands that this situation is deeply upsetting to many in our community, and we are committed to ensuring a full and transparent review of the incident,” police said in their statement on Monday.
“We respectfully ask the public for patience as the investigative process unfolds. We are committed to transparency and accountability and will provide updates as soon as we are able to share verified facts,” police added.
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