An elite Texas cop has been shot dead while trying to rescue hostages who were snatched by a crazed gunman.
Jorge Pastore, 38, a senior police officer in Austin, was killed on Saturday during a shootout with the suspect as he tried to save the three kidnapped people.
But by the time more officers arrived, two of the victims had been killed and a second cop was later injured and rushed to hospital in a stable condition.
The killer’s rampage started at 2.49am on Saturday when a frantic woman ‘screaming for help’ called 911 to say she had been stabbed.
Senior Patrol Officer Jorge Pastore was killed Saturday in Austin, Texas while responding to a deadly hostage situation. Pastore is survived by his wife and two step kids
Pictured Officer Jorge Pastore and his wife Kim Balint Pastore
Eight minutes later, the first officers arrived at the home where two victims were believed to be alive and trapped with the crazed man. A female victim had escaped.
Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said the officers stormed the house around 3.01am but were met with heavy gunfire.
The cops retreated and called SWAT at 4.11am.
‘As SWAT officers entered, the suspect immediately fired his gun at the officers and the SWAT officers returned fire,’ Austin’s top cop said.
Holding back tears, Henderson added two officers were shot during the exchange of gunfire. The gunman was killed after several members of SWAT fired their weapons.
The fatal shooting was captured on the body-worn camera of several officers who responded to the deadly hostage situation.
A candlelight vigil was held at City Hall in downtown Austin to honor Officer Jorge Pastore, who was killed in an officer-involved shooting on November 11
Austin Police Department officers prepare to ride in a procession leaving Dell Seton Medical Center in Downtown Austin following the shooting death of a police officer early on Saturday
Members of the Austin Fire Department bow their heads as they prepare to drive in a procession for the fallen officer
Pastore quickly rose through the ranks to several elite teams in the department and is the first officer to be killed in the line of duty in 10 years.
‘First time I met him, it was like I already knew him….he had good energy,’ Retired Austin Police Officer Association President Dennis Farris told the DailyMail.com.
‘When he walks into the room, he kind of fills it up. Austin has lost an exceptional police officer.’
In the three years Pastore was with the department, he made the SWAT Gold team, which meant he was reserve if full-time SWAT members couldn’t work.
He was also part of the CAST division – the team called out to take out active shooters – and the SRT or riot team.
‘We should never forget the sacrifice that Jorge made,’ Farris added. He is survived by his wife, two stepsons, his parents and two sisters.
The Austin Police Department investigates the crime scene after an Austin police officer died following a shooting in South Austin, Texas on Saturday
Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson tearfully spoke to the media about the shooting death of an Austin Police Department officer on Saturday
Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, Texas, apologized after he was accused of falling asleep during a memorial service for a police officer who died in a tragic motorcycle crash last month
Justin Berry, a senior officer with the Austin Police Department and a member of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, posted the photo and claimed the mayor was sleeping
Pastore’s death comes at a time when the Austin Police Department is understaffed by almost 400 officers and tensions are raw with City Hall.
The liberal current mayor and city council have refused to offer police a contract guaranteeing their benefits.
A vigil was held for Pastore Sunday with Mayor Kirk Watson noticeably absent.
The department is so short staffed, detectives are regularly pulled from investigating cases to act as patrol officers.
Most 911 calls, except those deemed life and death, are routed to the non-emergency 311 line instead.
Previous mayor Steve Adler – who left office in January – actually defunded the police department by a third.
Adler also fell asleep at a police officer funeral, and he was later forced to apologize.
‘I hope that the people out there who think that there is something wrong with APD take a step back,’ Farris said as the law enforcement community grieves.