BOERNE, Texas — A 41-year-old man is dead after being shot by a Boerne Police officer who opened fire when the man rammed into his vehicle Monday afternoon, authorities said.
The fatal shooting was preceded by a high-speed chase through multiple counties, which began after law enforcement were told by family members of Brandon Cruz that he was suicidal, according to a press release from Boerne city officials.
Sergeant Erkskin McMickle with the Gillespie County Sheriff's Office told KENS5 they received a call from Cruz' parents who requested a welfare check Monday afternoon. Deputies were soon able to match his vehicle description to a car that led deputies on the chase.
"The information passed to the officers was that the subject's family was able to take a gun away from him before he drove away," the release states. "However, they were not sure if he had any additional weapons."
Whether Cruz was armed during the pursuit remains unclear.
Authorities said multiple attempts to stop Cruz were unsuccessful, and he continued to travel towards Boerne at speeds of over 100 mph. Having briefly lost sight of him, law enforcement were notified that his car was found behind an apartment complex on the city's west side, along the 800 block of Johns Road.
A Texas Department of Safety Trooper accompanied a Boerne officer to the location, where they "saw Cruz sitting in his vehicle and began to order him out." Instead, he "proceeded to rev his engine" and backed into the BPD vehicle.
Authorities say that, at that point, Cpl. Cheyenne Weber shot at Cruz, hitting him multiple times. First responders arrived at the scene but were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Texas Rangers are investigating the incident. In the meantime, Weber, who has been with BPD for 11 years, has been placed on administrative duty.
KENS 5 learned that BPD officers do receive additional training on de-escalation, communicating and handling mental health calls where they know the person involved might be in duress.
BPD recently hired a mental health officer in January. In a written statement, Christopher Shadrock, with the City of Boerne, said "deploying of a mental health officer to a scene varies based on the circumstances at hand." Shadrock confirmed the mental officer was not on scene of the fatal officer involved shooting in Boerne Monday.
Shadrock added that BPD has worked cooperatively with the Kendall County Sheriffs Office in the past to "safely bring an end to a call in which a person was in crisis and connect them with the resources they need."
Kendall County Sheriff officials said they have two designated mental health officers, but all deputies are crisis intervention certified.