CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — It started as a homicide and ended with gunfire inside a police unit. I talked to Chief Markle about how this happened.
We continue following the breaking news of a deadly shooting on the westside that quickly turned into an officer-involved shooting. Police say a man, already detained, opened fire from inside a patrol car, shooting an officer in the head.
Now the community wants answers: How is that officer doing? What led up to this moment? And how did a suspect end up in the back of a police car, still armed?
I sat down with Police Chief Mike Markle and our KRIS 6 Investigates team to get those answers.
I was on the westside Friday afternoon as breaking news unfolded. Since then, KRIS 6 News has discovered that the man accused of shooting and wounding 3 police officers opened fire from the back of a police car, after he had been searched for weapons.
That's according to probable cause documents obtained by our investigation team. Police Chief Mike Markle described what happened.
"I watched the video, she did pat him down. She did pat him down and put him in the backseat of her car," Markle said.
The chief says officers make assessments depending on the situation. They saw a guy driving a vehicle that fit the description, which is why he wasn't handcuffed initially.
The officers then went to search Rojas's vehicle. When they returned, Rojas started shooting. One round hit Officer Alexandra Cano-Castro in the head. A second officer was shot in the arm. The third officer had a minor injury from a bullet fragment.
I asked Chief Markle how Rojas was able to have the gun even after being searched, and if there will be changes made to training policies.
"In this case it wasn't so much lack of training. It was just that the circumstances, in this instance, led to this individual effectively hiding a gun that we didn't catch in the field, and a tragedy occurred because of it," Markle said.
The chief says officers have to make tough split decisions.
"Look at the world right now. So officers are rightfully a little hesitant," Markle said.
He says the blame is not on the officers but on the suspect, Ricardo Rojas.
"The only person that's at fault for this shooting is the suspect," Markle said.
We've previously reported about Ricardo Rojas's extensive criminal history. It includes a prior felony firearm conviction and multiple probation violations. Chief Markle says that makes it especially frustrating to see his officers hurt.
"From somebody that probably should've been in prison a long time ago," Markle said.
Markle explained that the department only releases suspect names when they're booked to avoid confusion and accidents of attaching someone else's name to a homicide.
Ricardo Rojas is now charged with 4 counts of attempted capital murder, one count of murder, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Bond has been set at a total of almost $5 million.
Police say body camera video will not be released at this time, as the investigation remains active.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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