Neighbors At Housing Complex For Mentally Ill Residents React To Police Involved Shooting

Neighbors at the “Las Puertas Abiertas” apartment complex in Northeast El Paso said they were still in shock over what happened at their parking lot early Sunday morning.

“Any time bullets are flying by…it makes you a little nervous,” said resident Jeannie Mendez. Mendez was also a little nervous to show her face on-camera during an interview with ABC-7. She described hearing gunfire feet away from her front door at around 4 a.m. Sunday.

“It’s very scary but your first instinct, I think, is to get away form the windows. Of course you’re wondering, what is going on?” said Mendez.

It all started with Mendez’s neighbor, 48-year-old Marissa Martinez.

According to authorities, a sheriff’s deputy tried to stop Martinez, who was driving a 1989 Ford minivan, for a red light violation at the intersection of Woodrow Bean and Odessa Lane.

Martinez refused to stop and instead accelerated to speeds of about 80 miles per hour, sheriff’s officials said.

At that point the deputy followed the van as Martinez pulled into the parking lot at “Las Puertas Abiertas” where she lives on 10095 McCombs Street.

Once parked, the sheriff’s deputy got out of his patrol unit and asked Martinez to get out of her mini-van. “He said twice, very loudly, get out of the car and put your hands up now,” said Mendez, who was listening from inside her apartment.

At that moment, Martinez put the van in reverse, quickly accelerated towards the deputy, authorities said. Fearing for his life, the deputy drew his weapon and fired multiple times towards the back of the van, but Martinez continued reversing nearly hitting the deputy and his patrol unit, officials explained.

“I heard the first gunshot. I thought ‘Oh, Lord!’ (and then) I saw her car peel out and the policeman was right behind her,” said Mendez.

Martinez then allegedly sped southbound onto Dyer street, but didn’t get very far. She crashed right into a police unit that was on the scene to assist in the pursuit and was arrested shortly after. Investigators said Martinez was not seriously hurt after the head-on collision but said she was highly intoxicated at the time.

“It’s scary. I’m upset because she did put us in a dangerous situation,” said another of Martinez’s neighbors, who wished to remain anonymous. “They found a bullet hole in our fence line around our patio. It hit close to home. It hit very close to home,” she said.

Residents of the apartment complex described it as a safe place and a positive environment for people with mental impairments. “We all love living here. It’s always so quiet here. Nothing ever happens,” said Mendez.

Many residents said they were upset over the situation, but still sympathized with Martinez. “She’s a friend, she’s our neighbor,” said the woman who wished to withhold her identity. “We know the stigma when it comes to having a mental illness. We feel for her, we just don’t know exactly what was going on in her mind”.

Martinez was arrested and charged with aggravated assault against a public servant. Her bond was set at $20,000.

“I hope that she gets the help that she needs down in the long run and that she’s treated fairly,” said the neighbor.