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SAN ANTONIO – One of the suspects involved in the shooting of a police officer in Balcones Heights is believed to be in custody in Mexico, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Thursday night.
‘Turn yourself in’: Sheriff identifies brothers accused of shooting police officer in Balcones Heights
Wilfredo Montemayor, 27, and his brother Sijifredo Montemayor, 30, are charged with attempted capital murder. They are accused of shooting Balcones Heights Police Sgt. Joey Sepulveda on the neck on Wednesday.
Salazar said the BCSO has been working on this case around the clock with the help of other Texas law enforcement agencies, and he believes Tamaulipas State Police has Sijifredo Montemayor in custody.
“I’m waiting for the proof that it even happened,” Salazar said.
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The sheriff says Mexican state police were not keen to discuss the matter with him on Thursday, and he will work to get more information from a commander on Friday. He said the BCSO has not verified whether Sijifredo Montemayor is actually in custody.
Salazar said authorities believe Sijifredo Montemayor entered Mexico around 5:30 pm on Wednesday, just hours after Sepulveda was shot. The sheriff says relatives may have helped Sijifredo escape across the border. However, it is unclear whether the relatives knew the sergeant was shot.
The BCSO went to the family home of the Montemayor brothers and asked them to come out voluntarily. Some family members have been taken into custody, but Salazar says it is unclear whether they will be charged.
Officials are still trying to find out if family members who lived in the house helped Sijifredo Montemayor escape to Mexico.
The sheriff’s office has confiscated the vehicle used to transport Sijifredo across the border and will be looking for further evidence in the case.
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Salazar says he is unsure when Sijifredo will be brought to the US from Mexico as he is also believed to have been taken to hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound. However, the sheriff says he is not aware of the seriousness of the suspect’s injury.
“It won’t be very easy,” Salazar said of Sijifredo Montemayor’s extradition to Bexar County.
Salazar said Wilfredo Montemayor is still on the run, and he is believed to still be in the San Antonio area.
Anyone with more information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867. There is a reward of up to $ 5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Watch Salazar’s press conference below:
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