MINERAL WELLS, Texas (AP) - A man who slipped away from investigators as he was being questioned in the kidnapping and death of a 4-year-old boy in north Texas has been fatally shot by officers, police said.
Mineral Wells police said 23-year-old Arturo Pacheco-Barrera was shot and killed about 2 p.m. Sunday in a rural area about seven miles south of the city.
Police Chief Mike McAllester said it's not yet clear whether the fatal shots were fired by city police, Palo Pinto County sheriff's deputies, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers or FBI agents. The shots were fired after Pacheco-Barrera was surrounded and refused orders to surrender, McAllester said.
Investigators are trying to determine whether Pacheco-Barrera had a weapon on him, the chief said. A backpack he had dropped when first confronted by officers contained a fully loaded handgun clip but no gun, McAllester said.
Pacheco-Barrera had escaped from Mineral Wells police Friday night while he was under questioning in the disappearance of Salvador Briones Jr. Police said the child's body was found behind a vacant house a few hours after he was reported missing Friday from his parents' home.
Family members have said Salvador's father received a call at work Friday demanding a $15,000 ransom for the boy's safe return.
Mineral Wells is a city of roughly 17,000 residents about 50 miles west of Fort Worth.
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