CAMERON, Texas — Residents and home owners in Cameron never expected to wake up to such a tragic event. Those who have lived in the area for years say they have always felt safe in their community until now.
This comes after one of their very own police officers was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call.
"It's not normal at all," resident of Cameron for five years Juan Hernandez said. "This is a very small community. If something happens everybody pretty much knows before it happened, so that's the thing, we're just surprised."
Here's what we know:
At approximately 10:55 p.m. on May 10, 2023, the Cameron Police Department responded to the 700 block of N. Travis in Cameron, TX on a report of a gunshot victim.
The victim told police she was shot in the back of the neck by their spouse.
Cameron Police investigated and applied for a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block of E. 7th.
"My wife was like go check the ring camera, something happened, I was like half asleep," Hernandez said. "I was surprised seeing all this outside."
The Cameron Police Department, Milam County Sheriff's Office, Rockdale Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety all responded to the scene.
Cameron home owner of 23 years Deborah Shipp recalled the evening and what all went down.
"My son had called my husband," Shipp said. "He answered the phone and he wasn't able to get onto our street. He called to let us know 'Hey, what's going on? I can't you know, get on, there's armored vehicles.' Gunshots started going off. He came back into the room and just told me to get down on the ground and didn't know what was going on. Of course, I was startled."
The suspect opened fire on law enforcement personnel, and law enforcement fired back.
The suspect was killed, and one officer was shot as well. The officer was taken to the nearest emergency room, where they died of their wounds.
"I feel like I can't trust where I'm at now," Hernandez said.
"Cameron's supposed to be a little, small town, you know it's safe," Shipp said.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident. Law enforcement shared with 6 News they cannot confirm any identities until a press conference Friday morning, May 12.
Cameron neighbors say there is a new level of appreciation for law enforcement after a tragedy like this.
"We just highly respect our officers for what they go out to do for us," Shipp said.
They are still on edge as this all hit right close to home.
The last Cameron Police Department line-of-duty death was in 1935, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
The 100 Club of Central Texas has organized a survivor fund in response to the officer's death. For information on how to donate, click here.