Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Police: Jail standoff ends with life-threatening injuries

CLOVIS — A four-hour standoff at the Curry County Adult Detention Center ended when a detainee shot himself about 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Sheriff Wesley Waller said in a news release.

Wesley Flores, 28, of Clovis was transported to Plains Regional Medical Center and then transferred to a medical facility in Lubbock with life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said.

Administrator Mark Gallegos said no jail personnel were hurt during the incident.

Officials did not immediately respond to questions about how Flores obtained a gun, but County Manager Lance Pyle said Flores was being “brought in by law enforcement to be booked into the detention center” when he “produced a handgun.”

Sheriff Waller said a detention officer was initially taken hostage by Flores.

“After a period of negotiations, two deputies were able to extract the detention officer to safety,” Waller said in the news release.

Officials said the entire incident occurred “inside a vestibule between the sally port and booking room” and that Flores did not have access to any other part of the jail.

But after the hostage was released, Waller said “Flores refused to come out and made statements indicating he was going to die.

“He disabled the camera, turned out the lights and quit communicating with the negotiator. Oleoresin Capsicum spray (pepper spray) was introduced into the room in an attempt to safely subdue Flores. A brief moment later, Flores shot himself.”

A reporter at the scene said an ambulance drove in front of the jail entrance about 20 seconds before a loud noise was heard inside the jail.

The ambulance back doors were then opened and personnel began moving around. Minutes later, the ambulance left the scene without sirens or flashing lights, accompanied by law enforcement officers.

A press release from Clovis police said Flores had been arrested for failing to appear in court. The original charge was not disclosed.

The police news release said Flores shot himself in the lower-right jaw.

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