EL PASO, Texas — A man was shot and killed by an El Paso Independent School District police officer during a confrontation in a campus parking lot early Thursday morning.
The officer fatally shot 56-year-old Julio Cordero around 5:45 a.m. after he was reportedly breaking windows before the start of classes at Franklin High School, where his son is a senior, El Paso Times reports.
The shooting happened outside the Franklin Magnet Center. El Paso ISD Police Chief Manuel Chavira said some cross-country students who were on campus were removed from the area and placed in lockdown. No one else was injured. Classes were canceled on Thursday but resumed on Friday.
The shooting is under investigation by the El Paso Police Department and Texas Rangers, which is standard protocol in all fatal police shootings. El Paso ISD is also conducting an administrative investigation.
Family: Ex-FBI Agent’s Mental Health Deteriorated After Traumatic Incident
Cordero was a father of four and a retired federal agent who was struggling with his mental health, his brother, Marco Cordero, told KTSM. He had previously broken windows when experiencing manic episodes but would go back and pay for the damage after the episode passed, he added. Relatives say Cordero was never violent with other people and did not own a gun after leaving the FBI.
Cordero said his brother’s mental health began declining after a suicidal man jumped in front of his car and died in 2014, which triggered memories of a 1993 crash that killed his sister. Cordero said after retirement, his brother sometimes didn’t sleep for days at a time, had nightmares, and suffered from paranoia and PTSD.
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Cordero also said his brother would take medication and his mental health would improve, but then he would stop taking it and the cycle continued.
“When he would get scared, he would freeze. It was like you were talking to him, but he couldn’t hear you. He can’t process information, so it’s very possible that they’re giving him commands and he’s not doing what he’s supposed to do, and part of it’s fear, and the other part is PTSD that kicked in,” he said. “ Suddenly, I find myself on the other side of the fence, and now I’m not so quick to say, ‘Do what the cops tell you to do.’”
The FBI El Paso Division confirmed Special Agent Cordero served in the bureau from 1996 to 2019. He was the lead agent in Operation Poisoned Pawns, a 2007 public corruption investigation that led to a raid of the El Paso County Courthouse. Dozens were convicted in the case, including three former county judges, county commissioners, school board members, and business people.
Cordero also won numerous awards, including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award in 2005 for his role in Operation Baja Kings, which resulted in 66 federal indictments and led to future cooperation with Mexican authorities on international drug operation enforcement.
Sources: El Paso ISD Police Officers Do Not Carry Tasers
Cordero’s family is questioning why a less-lethal use of force was not used. Sources told KTSM that El Paso ISD officers do not have tasers. When asked, KTSM said El Paso ISD did not clarify what, if any, non-lethal weapons officers are equipped with.
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“Publicly, I’d tell them, ‘Shame on you because you’re working with students.’ I can’t imagine you not carrying a taser when you’re surrounded by adolescents who make rash decisions in a moment’s notice,” his brother said, noting he and his family are prepared to accept whatever outcome the investigation finds but that they want transparency about the incident.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and may need support, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
