Magnolia man faces charges for pointing shotgun at police at Montgomery County Hall
A man who was shot by police during a wellness check at a Magnolia-area hotel on July 15 has been identified as Eric Zuniga Vega Jr.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Scott Spencer said Vega, 23, faces a charge of aggravated assault of an official and unlawful possession of a firearm. Bond for each charge at $150,000 and $6,000 respectively.
Vega was shot and wounded by authorities after exiting a Montgomery County motel room with a shotgun pointed at police, officials said.
Magnolia Police Department officers conducted a wellness check around 7 p.m. on a suspected intoxicated man at the Executive Inn in the 17700 block of FM 1488, Spencer said.
Dispatchers, who contacted hotel management, learned Vega had a gun when hotel workers checked on him, Spencer added.
Officials from the Magnolia Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery County District 3 Constable’s Office arrived and tried “many” methods to defuse the situation and get the man out of the hotel room, authorities said.
Montgomery County 1 Constable’s Office Mental Health Crisis Response worked for more than an hour before he emerged around 8:30 p.m. with what appeared to be a shotgun, according to Spencer.
“He came out of the room with a gun pointed at the officer,” Spencer said, adding that no officers were injured in the incident. “Four officers shot him several times.”
Vega was taken to an area hospital and underwent surgery. He is still hospitalized but listed in stable condition.