BCSO holds news conference following manhunt that ended in suspect shooting self

BOWIE COUNTY, Texas (KSLA) — The nearly 20-hour manhunt for 32-year-old Hector Alejandro Pintor Aguilar came to an end Sunday, Aug. 7 down a small county road in east Texas. The Bowie County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Aguilar had broken into a vacant home on Roy Road near Leary, Texas, and reportedly shot himself.

KSLA News 12′s cameras captured a coroner’s van driving his body from the scene. “It was really scary,” said Brittney Kingcade, who says a few hours into the law enforcement search for Aguilar, the manhunt came to her neighborhood. “Police and everything were outside. We heard the helicopters later.” It kept her family sleepless and on edge. “We just stayed kind of hunkered down in the closet.” It was about 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 6 when sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about gunfire and found two gunshot victims, a man and a 52-year-old woman. The man, 55-year-old Serafin Garcia-Alanis, died from his injuries. The woman was taken to a hospital. “Suspect left in a vehicle that was wrecked in the state of Arkansas, where he stole another vehicle at gunpoint,” Bowie County, Texas, Sheriff Jeff Neal said.

Aguilar, the alleged gunman, allegedly had fled in a car that he then reportedly wrecked in Sevier County, Ark., and proceeded to carjack a passerby who pulled over to check on him. Neal said the search for Aguilar — who now was considered armed, dangerous and wanted for murder — stretched into the evening.

And that’s when one of Neal’s patrol deputies spotted Aguilar and the stolen vehicle. At 10:36 p.m., Lt. Scott Lillis recognized the vehicle from the shooting while at South Kings Highway at U.S. Highway 59 near Texarkana, Texas. As he approached the passenger side of the vehicle, Aguilar reportedly shot him in the face.

Witnesses who said they saw Aguilar shoot Lillis attempted to follow Aguilar but were unable to because of his erratic behavior. That law officer now is in stable condition. Aguilar abandoned the stolen vehicle at Spur 76 at U.S. Highway 82 West near Hooks, Texas. He was then able to steal another vehicle at gunpoint. Aguilar fled that scene, leading police on a chase and stealing a second car, according to Neal, before dumping that vehicle off a road near Kingcade’s home, locking down her neighborhood overnight, “There was at least 50 vehicles and the helicopters and the drones,” she said. Then police tracked Aguilar to the vacant home.

Finally, around 10 a.m. Sunday, Kingcade said she got word. The standoff had ended. “We’re staying really updated with all the Facebook outreach and everything like that.” The major manhunt involved 75-100 law enforcement officers. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Telford Unit provided tracking dogs that were able to track Aguilar to the abandoned home he had broken into.

Tactical units from multiple agencies surrounded the house and used a tactical robot to locate him. Aguilar was non-cooperative and continued to stand off against officers for hours. Later, using a tactical camera, Aguilar was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. An autopsy of Aguilar has been ordered. Lillis received excellent care and is in stable condition. The female victim is also currently in stable condition. “The Bowie County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the following law enforcement agencies for their assistance in this difficult time, each of you helped put an end to the violent crime spree carried out by Hector Alejandro Pintor Aguilar: Texas Department of Public Safety (CID, Tactical Unit, TX Rangers, Troopers), Texas Department of Criminal Justice (Telford Unit tracking dogs), Texarkana, TX Police Department, Texarkana, AR Police Department, Wake Village, TX Police Department, Nash, TX Police Department, Hooks, TX Police Department, New Boston, TX Police Department, Dekalb, TX Police Department, Red Lick ISD, Police Department, Life Net EMS,” said a statement from Bowie County Sheriff’s Office. As for the motive behind Aguilar’s deadly crime spree, that remains a mystery.

Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the entire incident. On Monday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m., the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office addressed the events of the weekend, with Sheriff Neal becoming emotional when speaking of the injuries one of his deputies sustained. “Watching his wife was the first time I broke down,” the sheriff said. FULL NEWS CONFERENCE Copyright 2022 KSLA.

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