Boy Threatened Officer With Scissors Before Being Shot, Police Say

A boy accused of a beer run threatened a police sergeant with a pair of scissors before the officer shot him twice, police said.

The 15-year-old boy was taken to University Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. He was struck in the upper arm and lower leg, police said

The police sergeant, Alonzo Torres, a 15-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave.

The shooting occurred about noon Tuesday in an alley near Blanco Avenue and De Vargas Drive in South Central El Paso.

Police said Torres followed someone who matched the description of a man who had just stolen beer from the Circle K in the 5000 block of East Paisano.

Torres, who was in uniform and in a patrol car, followed the teen until caught up with him in the nearby alley.

That’s when police said the boy threw the bottle of beer at the Torres. He then threatened Torres with what police identified as a pair of metallic scissors.

According to a news release issued by police, officers with the Crimes Against People unit are investigating the officer-involved shooting as a case of aggravated assault on a public servant. The investigation is ongoing.

The ABC-7 I-Team has been able to confirm that Torres is one of the two law enforcement officials who shot and killed a mountain lion in Downtown El Paso last May.