Detained man in ICU after shooting

CLOVIS — The man involved in Thursday's standoff at the Curry County Jail pulled a handgun from his clothing as he waited to be booked following his arrest, Curry County Sheriff Wesley Waller said Friday.

Wesley Flores, 28, of Clovis, was in intensive care at a Lubbock hospital Friday after police said he shot himself in the face at the end of the four-hour standoff.

Waller said Clovis police arrested Flores on Thursday afternoon on a failure to appear warrant for charges including possession of a firearm by a felon and multiple unauthorized uses of credit cards.

Officials have said Flores was taken to the jail and was "inside a vestibule between the sally port and booking room" when he "produced a handgun."

Waller said Friday the arresting officer, whom Clovis police declined Friday to identify, had left the sally port and was in the booking area when a detention officer began "performing a pre-booking pat down and property inventory" in the vestibule.

That's when Flores pulled the gun and took the unnamed detention officer hostage.

Two sheriff's deputies secured his release after a period of negotiations. Jail Administrator Mark Gallegos said "it was a matter of minutes" before officers isolated Flores.

Flores then remained in the vestibule, with the gun pointed at himself, while a Clovis Police Department crisis negotiator attempted to talk him into surrender.

Law enforcement blocked off intersections immediately surrounding the jail's location on Mitchell Street soon after 2:45 p.m. Thursday, when the jail had reported a hostage situation.

"Flores refused to come out and made statements indicating he was going to die," Waller said in a news release Thursday night. "He disabled the camera, turned out the lights and quit communicating with the negotiator."

At some point during negotiations, officials used pepper spray in hopes Flores would give up his weapon.

Gallegos said it was deployed as an Oleoresin Capsicum mist underneath the door.

Waller said Flores shot himself at the end of the standoff, which concluded around 6:45 p.m.

"The Clovis Police SWAT team utilized a flash-bang, which is a distractionary device that causes a bright flash and loud report, as they made entry into the vestibule following the shot fired by Flores," Waller said.

A waiting ambulance immediately took Flores to Plains Regional Medical Center where officials said he faced "life-threatening injuries." He was stabilized and flown to a Lubbock hospital later Thursday night.

Waller said Flores fired the only shot during the incident. Officials have said no other injuries were reported.

Officials would not address how Flores managed to have the gun in his clothing at the jail following his arrest.

In response to a question Friday about where Flores obtained the gun, CPD Capt. Roman Romero referred to a Jan. 25 report police received alleging Flores had taken a .380 caliber Kimber Micro Carry pistol from his grandfather's safe the day before.

Romero said a corresponding incident report for larceny of a firearm was generated but not yet releasable.

In a separate incident, court records show Flores was charged in December for allegedly taking four pistols from his grandfather's safe and pawning one of them. None of those pistols inventoried matched the Kimber brand pistol Romero referred to with the January report.

Flores' grandfather told police in December he "suspects his grandson (Flores) stole the pistols and used them to acquire drugs," and that Flores "is an addict and needs to go to rehab," according to a criminal complaint.

A judge issued a bench warrant for Flores' arrest Jan. 29 after he failed to appear for an arraignment that day on the charges from December. It was that warrant that Clovis police served when arresting Flores on Thursday.

Clovis police and the Curry County Sheriff's office are investigating the series of events; police will be investigating the arrest and the sheriff's office will investigate the hostage situation and attempted suicide, Waller said.

Romero cited personnel matters and said police were "unable to comment" when asked if any law officers were on leave while the incident is investigated, or if any policy violations occured in connection with the incident.

Officials said the entire detention center was placed on lock-down during the incident and no additional bookings could be made until Flores was removed and the scene was made safe.

Waller said charges are pending in connection with the standoff.

— Staff writer David Grieder contributed to this report.