Deputy Shot During Traffic Stop Dies

A West Texas sheriff's deputy who was critically wounded Friday in a shooting during a traffic stop has died. The El Paso County Sheriff's office confirmed the death of Deputy Peter Herrera in a statement on Facebook. It gave no further details. Authorities had said on Friday that they expected Herrera to survive the shooting because he was wearing a protective vest. Herrera was shot around 1:50am Friday after stopping a vehicle in San Elizario, about 25 miles southeast of El Paso along the US-Mexico border, the AP reports. Authorities say a man in the vehicle started shooting after the deputy asked the driver to step out of the car.

"Immediately upon stepping out, the male pulled a weapon and opened fire," Sheriff Richard Wiles tells the El Paso Times. Wiles says the suspect fired at least 15 shots during the "totally unprovoked" attack, and Herrera never even had a chance to draw his weapon. The suspected gunman, 27-year-old Facundo Chavez, tried to drive away but his car stalled and he fled on foot with his female passenger and was found hiding in a shed a few blocks away, police say. Chavez was initially booked on an attempted capital murder charge. Wiles says Chavez has a lengthy criminal record, and was being investigated for an alleged domestic violence case last week involving the female passenger. (More Texas stories.)