El Paso Sheriff’s Office release more details on shooting incident with Fabens man and his suicide

Nov. 13, 2013 Update:

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has released more details on the incident.

At about 11:39 a.m. on Nov. 12, a sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop of a sport utility vehicle at about the 1800 block of Middle Island Rd. in Fabens.

Angela Marasovich, the driver of the vehicle, was outside the vehicle signing the citation when the passenger, George Reese Lutich, exited the vehicle and allegedly fired a shot at the deputy from a handgun.

The deputy returned fire. No one was injured in the exchange.

Marasovich and Lutich got back in their vehicle and fled to Lutich’s home in the 17900 block of Middle Island Rd. with deputies in pursuit.

Sheriff’s officials say that as the deputies were arriving that Lutich pointed a rifle in their direction.

Deputies then retreated and set up a perimeter and evacuated several people from surrounding residences. A request was made for the SWAT team, the Crisis Negotiations Team, the Criminal Investigation Division, and the Sheriff’s Office Strike Team. The United States Border Patrol air support unit, several United States Border Patrol Agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, and Clint PD Officers assisted as well.

At about 1 p.m. negotiators began to speak with Lutich and Marasovich. After several hours of negotiating both subjects refused to exit the residence, according to sheriff’s officials.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team along with Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) approached the residence and deployed a distraction device inside in hopes of having the subjects come out.

Marasovich did come out safely, but Lutich did not come out. The SWAT Team and BORTAC team entered the residence and discovered Lutich deceased due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The scene was then turned over to the Criminal Investigation Division to conduct a formal investigation.

Nov. 12, 2013 Story: The man who allegedly shot at an El Paso County Sheriff’s deputy Tuesday morning and then barricaded himself inside a home has killed himself.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cris Acosta identified the alleged shooter as George Reese Lutich. The standoff with law enforcement lasted nearly six hours.

The traffic stop occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. along Middle Island Road and Fabens Road in Fabens.

At one point, the barricaded man called ABC-7 and asked to speak with reporter Matt Dougherty. He explained what happened when he was pulled over.

“He (the deputy) reached for his gun, and he starts yelling at me: ‘put your hands down on the dashboard,'” said the man, adding “(The deputy) wouldn’t tell me what the deal is, you know, he’s yelling at me. So he reaches for his gun and fires. I fired back up in the air.”

Lutich went on to tell ABC-7 that he had lost custody of his children. He also spoke of conspiracy theories and corruption. On several occasions, Lutich told ABC-7 he was a “Christian man,” that he believed there were people out to get him, and that the devil was among us. Asked what he thought Christ would do in his situation, Lutich said “He would stand his ground.”

ABC-7 cooperated with sheriff’s officials keeping them abreast of the conversations. Lutich spoke with ABC-7 at least five times before the end of the standoff.

When the incident first unfolded, sheriff’s deputies could be heard on police scanners giving cautionary instructions.

“Be careful, he’s got weapons all around the room,” one deputy could be heard saying before a deputy said, “All units, back up. Back up. Back up. Back up. Back up.”