Border patrol officer accused of mass murder wanted to "commit suicide by police officer"

A US Border Patrol officer accused of killing four people and assaulting a fifth in the rural county of Webb, Texas, had a pile of weapons at his home – and would have liked to die in a clash with the police, have authorities said Monday afternoon.

Juan David Ortiz, 35, has amassed "many" weapons from his home after a woman escaped from her van and sought help at a gas station, said deputy sheriff's vice president on Monday. Webb County, Federico Garza.

"He had a lot of weapons – he loaded all those weapons into thinking that DPS was going to confront him and he was watching a confrontation – thank God that did not happen," Garza said, referring to the Texas police . , the Ministry of Public Security.

Instead, he was spotted at a gas station by state soldiers – who were aware of an alert for him and his car – in the early hours of September 15, Garza said. Ortiz went to use the toilets at the gas station, leaving a weapon in the car when he was confronted by the soldiers, the MP said.

Ortiz escaped to a nearby hotel and hid under a van in the parking lot, Garza said.

"He was going to try to commit suicide by a policeman, he tried to use his phone to make it look like it was a weapon," Garza said. "It did not happen, it was stopped without incident."

Garza later stated that Ortiz possessed a "house full of weapons, a lot of weapons" at his home but did not have the exact figure.

The District Attorney estimates that Ortiz has sent farewell messages about what they thought was his Facebook account in the hours that followed the van's escape.

"For my wife and children, I love you," read an article, according to an image provided to NBC News. The other bed, "Doc Ortiz checks, goodbye."

Ortiz was a hospital soldier in the Navy before joining the Border Patrol. "Doc" is a common nickname for the bodyman.

A search for public documents on Ortiz showed that he had testified in a federal case in 2014 that described him as having received specialized training in the investigation and interception of narcotics and trafficking offenses. He was not a party to the case and the court ruled his testimony credible.

A Border Patrol official stated that Ortiz had no major disciplinary action against him and that he may have had a "minor allegation against him" that was under investigation, but "certainly nothing indicating this type of behavior.

According to prosecutors, Ortiz, a ten-year veteran of the border police, confessed to killing the four people in about two weeks' time.

Ortiz is being held on four counts of murder, aggravated assault with a lethal weapon and unlawful coercion, with a bond of $ 2.5 million.

He is accused of shooting four women, one of whom was declared a transgender woman by one of the district attorneys, and assaulted a fifth of them before fleeing.

Three of the victims have been identified by authorities such as Melissa Ramirez, 29; Claudine Ann Luera, 42 years old; and Humberto Ortiz, 28 years old. The identity of the remaining victim has not been revealed.

US Border Patrol leader Carla Provost said at the press conference that the allegations against Ortiz did not reflect the agency and that Ortiz had been suspended for an indefinite period.