San Marcos police shooter was undocumented, may have operated under different names

Wounded officers have been released from hospital

Alfredo Perez De La Cruz, 45, of San Marcos (KSAT)

On Tuesday, San Marcos police released new details about the shooter who killed Officer Justin Putnam and wounded Officers Franco Stewart and Justin Mueller in April.

On April 18, police were responding to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, they were ambushed by Jose Alfredo Perez DeLaCruz. He was armed with a rifle while wearing body armor. After he shot the officers, he fatally shot himself.

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On Tuesday, police confirmed that DeLaCruz was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who had been in the United States since the late 1990s. Investigators believe DeLaCruz went by several different aliases.

“No additional criminal record has been located for the shooter and the case remains active,” police wrote in the news release.

Officers Stewart and Mueller have since been released from the hospital and rehabilitation facilities and continue recovering at home.

Funeral services for Officer Putnam have been postponed until after COVID restrictions are further lifted. Still, the community honored Putnam on April 20 when his body was returned to San Marcos in a procession that came from Austin.

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