Body camera video shows armed suspect being shot by DeSoto police
DESOTO, Texas - The DeSoto Police Department released new information and body camera video of a deadly shooting over the weekend.
34-year-old Jesse Martinez was with a woman and two children early Sunday morning when he was shot by police.
The department took no questions from the media on Friday, but said more would be released going forward.
Sunday around 3:30 a.m., Martinez, his girlfriend, her 13-year-old daughter and the couple's one-year-old son were knocking on doors and trespassing through yards in a DeSoto neighborhood near North Hampton Road and East Pleasant Run.
Police say Martinez was holding the one-year-old boy when they responded. In the video, you can hear Martinez saying the group needed water.
The officer spotted a gun on Martinez and when asked about it, Martinez allegedly threatened to shoot any officers who confronted him. The group then ran into a wooded area.
"He's got a gun in his pocket and there's a baby with them. They are walking away from me toward the creek," the officer can be heard saying in the video.
The officer continued to transmit on his radio, telling dispatchers what Martinez said. The suspect's comments cannot be heard on video.
"Now he's got a gun. He's down by the creek, he's saying if he sees me he's going to kill me," says the officer.
DeSoto called Dallas Police and the Department of Public Safety for helicopter help, but neither could respond.
DeSoto police found the suspects behind a house on Springbrook Drive and the two adults and two children move to the middle of the street.
Martinez approached the officer and displayed two handguns, according to police. The officer made multiple requests for Martinez to show his hands, but he verbally refused, according to police.
With Martinez standing behind the woman and children, the officer decided to open fire. Martinez was hit and killed.
Police say they don't know what the group was doing and why.
"These are all speculative or potential aspects of this incident that are being examined from many different angles," said Assistant Chief Ryan Jesionek with the DeSoto Police Department.
The child was returned to family members after the shooting.
Police say Martinez's girlfriend and her daughter were brought in for questioning, but no charges have been announced.
The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave.
DeSoto Police, Grand Prairie Police and the Public Integrity Unit of the Dallas County District Attorney's Office are involved in the investigation.
For now, there are no plans for another briefing from police.
Suspect's Criminal History
Jesse Martinez
At the time of Martinez’s death, there was an active warrant for his arrest.
Court documents show he violated his bond on charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault of a minor — by tampering with his electronic monitor.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit from the December 2021 incident, police were called out to a Dallas home where Martinez was threatening to kidnap a teenager at gunpoint.
Police say weeks earlier, that teen made an outcry, saying he repeatedly sexually assaulted her.
Once she was safe, the teenager at the time claimed Martinez was part of a cartel and had a lot of drugs, guns and money, but that allegation hasn’t been confirmed.