Things went quite poorly for a home invader in El Paso, Texas. There, a man tried to burgle a home and shot the residents’ dog, but had the tables turned on him when one of the home’s residents opened fire with a firearm of his own.
The alleged burglar is named Bruce Wayne Murphy. Murphy, a 29-year-old man, is accused of breaking into a Northeast El Paso home at about 9 a.m. on March 1. According to police, he opened fire on and wounded a dog after breaking into the home.
Then, one of the three house residents inside it during the alleged break-in, 37-year-old Sean Patrick Suniga, fought back by opening fire. He used his own firearm to shoot at Murphy.
Though wounded by Suniga’s gunfire, Murphy managed to run from the house to the nearby street. There he yelled that he had been shot and begged for help. He was transported to a local hospital, but will be transported to the El Paso County Detention Facility after he is let out of the hospital. Police say he is being held on a $500,000 burglary of habitation bond.
Fox 6 Now reports that “The Animal Cruelty Investigative Unit, crimes against persons detectives and other authorities all responded to the scene of the crime. The investigation into the matter is ongoing, according to police.”
KTSM reported a similar story about what happened, saying:
A shooting was reported on Wednesday March 1, at 8:56 a.m. on Gateway South and Broaddus, and according to El Paso Police department, 29-year-old Bruce Wayne Murphy was located in the middle of the intersection screaming for help saying he had been shot.
A second call was later received from 7500 Block of Howard in reference a home invasion. The victims, identified by EPPD, as 37-year-old Sean Patrick Suniga, 60-year-old Danny Russell Dennington and 32-year-old Danny Marshall Dennington told an individual matching Murphy’s description forced his way into their residence and shot a gun inside and in that course, shot their dog.
According to Northeast Patrol officers, Suniga told responding officers, he took his own handgun and fired back ta Murphy.
Small crimes of this sort are far from the only crime problem with which El Paso has struggled in recent months. The border town has felt the heavy burden of illegal immigration to such an extent that the mayor had to declare an emergency in mid-December of 2022, as VOA reported, saying:
The mayor of El Paso, Texas, Saturday declared a state of emergency as the U.S. border city faces a daily influx of thousands of migrants from Latin American countries over the border with Mexico.
Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, said the declaration would give the city the money and other needed resources to deal with the migrant crisis.
“We wanted to make sure people are treated with dignity. We want to make sure everyone is safe,” Leeser said.
U.S. officials say more than 2,400 migrants cross into El Paso every day, far beyond its shelter capacity, and thousands of migrants are sleeping on El Paso’s streets, just as the temperatures are dropping.
The emergency declaration came just days before a federal health order, referred to as Title 42, expires Wednesday. Title 42, enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed for the quick return of migrants across the border.
If Title 42 is no longer in effect next week, Leeser said U.S. officials have told him the daily number of migrants crossing daily into the U.S. through El Paso could jump from 2,400 to as high as 6,000.
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