Steven Zimmerman, Reporter, New Mexico/Israel

“I just want the general public to understand that it is not all about force,” says El Paso Police Officer Chris Camp. “It’s about showing forms of compassion, understanding, and, most of all, never being afraid to be human.”

When Agustin woke up on Thursday, 8 February 2024, he may have had plans for the day. Maybe he was meeting with friends or even going off to work. Whatever his plans were, they were interrupted by an argument with his wife. The argument caused neighbors to call the El Paso Police Department.

As Agustin and his wife shouted at each other, the police were on their way. While en route to Agustin’s apartment, responding units were advised that Agustin was a gang member with active warrants for his arrest.

As police arrived and located his car, Agustin tried to drive away. One police cruiser blocked the apartment complex’s driveway, so Agustin could not leave, so he began to reverse his car. Ultimately, he hit a metal barricade in the complex’s parking lot and fled on foot.

“Stop,” yelled one officer. It was then, during that chase, the officer noticed that Agustin had a gun.

Officers continued to tell Agustin to stop and to drop the gun.

“I do not want to hurt anyone,” Agustin said. “I just want to kill myself. I want to die.”

We’ve all seen how incidents such as this play out. There is one outcome where the firearm is dropped, and the suspect gives himself up to the police. Another involves the shooting death of the suspect.

In Agustin’s case, it could have gone either way when he made that statement. When he came upon the scene, Officer Chris Camp of the El Paso Police Department witnessed a group of officers yelling at Agustin simultaneously. Again, that is a scene we’ve seen far too often.

Agustin yells to his wife that he loves her. Two officers yell to drop the gun and get down. It was a combination of orders.

“Please,” Agustin said, “let me talk to somebody.”

“When I arrived on the scene, I observed chaos,” says Officer Camp.

Agustin wanted someone to talk to. How can you talk to officers who are screaming at you?

“Stop,” Officer Camp told his fellow officers as he came upon the scene. “Stand down, stand down.”

Agustin’s gun is pointed at his head.

“The Crisis Intervention Team, Emergence Health Network) who were yelling at the subject along with other Officers,” says Camp. “This was causing mayhem between everyone on the scene.”

All the confusion was leading to hysteria and anxiety toward Agustin.  

Officer Camp steps past his fellow officers, calling out to Agustin to talk to him.

As Officer Camp talks to Agustin, another police officer can be seen in the parking lot, coming up behind Agustin.

Imagine the stress running through Agustin and his wife, the rising tensions between the officers, and the uncertainty of the situation. Officer Camp knew he had to do something.

Officer Camp immediately began talking to Agustin, focusing Agustin’s attention on him, not the other officers and mental health workers.

“I utilized my training, experience, and educational background to neutralize the situation, build rapport, and have the subject focus on me as the main point of contact,” says Officer Camp. I knew [Agustin] had a great affection for his dog, and this was the “hook” I needed to “disarm” the situation.

In the bodycam footage, Camp is walking towards Agustin. Rather than barking commands at Agustin, Camp continued to talk to him.

“It doesn’t have to end this way,” Camp can be heard saying in the video.

With genuine anguish in his voice, Agustin told Camp that he was tired of it. Watching the video and hearing Agustin speak reveals his mental exhaustion.

“I continued to put my life in the line of fire to protect my officers,” says Officer Camp. “It is what any supervisor would do to preserve the life of a citizen or their Officers.”

Officer Camp said this kind of reaction is not learned in training; it’s what’s already deep inside you.

“You are made to fight or to flight,” says Camp. “Despite the outcome, I decided to “fight” to protect my community and my Officers.”

In the end, Officer Camp was able to talk Agustin down and take him into custody. That afternoon, everyone was able to go home.

In the end, Camp says Agustin “was very sympathetic and apologetic, and his eyes were filled with tears. He thanked me for putting my life on the line and to have faith in his ability.”

Agustin even thanked Camp for being a man of his word and allowing him to spend time with his dog before he was taken downtown.

“Don’t do what I did,” Officer Camp can be heard saying to another officer. “That’ll get you killed.”

What Officer Camp did may have got him killed. If Camp hadn’t interceded, what could have happened? Would Agustin have been shot? Would an officer or someone in their apartment have been shot? If history is any guide we can rely on, Agustin would not be here today.

“My job is to honor my oath and to protect and serve,” says Camp. “I owe this to my community and Officers; I lead from the front, not behind, where it is safe.”

We began by sharing a quote from Officer Camp:

“I just want the general public to understand that it is not all about force,” says El Paso Police Officer Chris Camp. “It’s about showing forms of compassion, understanding, and, most of all, never being afraid to be human.”

That Thursday morning, Agustin didn’t know how his afternoon would be. He didn’t realize an otherwise problematic encounter with the police would give him a second chance at life.

At rollcall that day, Camp had no idea that he would be the face of a Talmudic quote: Whoever saves one life saves the world entire (paraphrased), and he would become the human face of the El Paso Police Department for Agustin, his family, his fellow officers, and the community who watched events unfold.

Officer Camp is an example to officers everywhere and should be hailed as a hero.

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