Victim of attempted carjacking speaking out after Border Patrol shooting

ABC-7 is learning more about a border patrol-involved shooting that happened in downtown El Paso Thursday evening. The first shots rang out on Santa Fe Street near Paisano Drive, then more shots were fired nearby.

ABC-7 spoke exclusively with the man the shooter attempted to car jack, before being shot down himself.

For Hector Chacon, it started with buying a white cap and bandana.

“Because I’m going to be a volunteer,” Chacon said, “one of the volunteers for the pope.”

He was leaving downtown after the purchase, and was stopped at a red light.

“A commotion started at the back of my vehicle. I didn’t know what was going on at this moment in time,” Chacon said. “I was just doing my thing, waiting for the light to turn green. And after that commotion, my door opens. And he reached out and grabbed my shirt, tried to pull me out. And he just said plainly ‘Get out! Get out!’ I couldn’t get out.”

At this point, Chacon had no idea, but he was face to face with a man law enforcement officials believe just killed another nearby.

“And he finally realized that I had my seat belt on,” Chacon said. “He says ‘Take off your seat belt! Get off!” And at this time, he’s looking at all the action going on around him.”

Chacon said several border patrol agents moved into position around his car, including directly across the street from the open door and struggle.

“(The agent was) aiming the gun at him, and me at the same time, and trying to get a shot at him,” Chacon said. “The agent and I met eyes, and he gave me that eye. I mean, his eyes opened up big, and he was just looking at, and trying to get a shot at the suspect. He didn’t have a shot. And I believe he would want to shoot him, but he was worried that the suspect would move, and the shot would hit me.”

Chacon said that despite the life-threatening situation right in front of him, it felt surreal, almost like a movie.

“And that’s why I was looking at the agent, like ‘Where’s the camera? Where’s the camera?'” Chacon said. “But after everything happened, I realized it wasn’t a movie.”

Chacon said the situation escalated further from there, from insistence by the suspect to threatening him with the gun.

“Once I unclicked my seat belt, and he said ‘Get out,'” Chacon said. “And then, he pointed the gun at me. ‘I don’t want to hurt you. Get out!’ And then he pulled (my shirt).”

Chacon said the suspect then moved away from the open door.

“When he made that move, you just hear the shots,” Chacon said. “Boom-boom-boom-boom! Poof. And he fell.”

Chacon said the suspect had moved to the side of the car and the agents took the opportunity. Chacon and even his truck escaped completely unharmed. He and his family thank God for his safe return, but he’s thankful that he was the one in that situation, and not someone else, and that he was able to keep his calm.

“I wanted to thank the agents, border patrol agents,” Chacon said. “The three of them saved my life. Thank you guys. Thank you very much. For my sake and for my family. Thank you.”

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, being handled by El Paso police. Investigators believe the suspect, who has not yet been named, was originally trying to rob the victim when the first shooting happened.motive behind the shooting that killed the victim was a robbery.