Carlos Cortez

Deadly force

Officer Matthew Betancourt responded to a call about a fire at Cortez's residence. He told Cortez, standing near the front door, to leave the burning house. Instead, Cortez approached the officer with a knife. The officer backed away, tripped on a fire department water line, then drew his pistol as he righted himself. He offered to holster his pistol if Cortez dropped his knife. Cortez took an axe from a nearby fire engine, approached the officer and raised it. The officer shot him in the chest. Cortez died at Valley Baptist Hospital. Texas Rangers Ricardo Rivera and Victor Escalon investigated.