Fatal Confrontation in McAllen: Police Shoot Knife-Wielding Suspect

In an incident unfolding at the McAllen Public Library parking lot on the 4000 Block of N. 23rd Street, responding police officers encountered a male suspect wielding a knife.

According to the initial report, officers on patrol were flagged down by a male individual at the location. The situation escalated rapidly when the suspect approached the officers with a knife. The officers relayed that the individual was advancing towards them with the weapon.

The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Delwyn Jeovany Pinto from Pomona, CA, reportedly threatened and charged at the officers with the knife. In response to the imminent threat, one of the responding officers discharged his duty weapon, striking the suspect in the upper body.

Officers on the scene provided immediate first aid and called for emergency medical assistance. Delwyn Jeovany Pinto was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at 4:10 AM.

Further investigation revealed that Pinto was the same individual involved in a stabbing incident approximately seven hours earlier. The earlier incident occurred in the 1000 Block of HWY (Business) 83 in McAllen, Texas, at 8:09 PM. In that incident, a male victim, who suffered multiple stab wounds, was transported to a local hospital and remains hospitalized. The victim reported being attacked but was unable to provide a motive for the assault.

The officer who discharged his duty weapon during the library encounter was identified as Officer Manuel Puente, a 2-year veteran of the McAllen Police Department.

The incident is currently under investigation, and Officer Puente’s actions will be scrutinized as part of the standard procedure in such cases.