Chris Ahuyon defended his home during a shootout in Ferris, Texas, leading to the arrest of Homero Salinas, who fired 30 rounds at his own family’s home.
FERRIS, Texas — Chris Ahuyon’s number one priority is to protect his home.
“If I wouldn’t have had my weapon on me, I probably would have died last night,” Ahuyon, a Ferris resident, said.
Just after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, Ahuyon woke up to gunshots. “…a war zone, you know. It sounded like a shootout,” Ahuyon said.
The Ferris Department of Public Safety said they got a c all from a man claiming people were trying to kill him. Officers identified that man as 47-year-old Homero Salinas who they said was the threat.
They said Salinas was living behind his family’s home. City Manager Brooks Williams said he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and was having hallucinations.
“In fact, he had made a comment to dispatch that his family had been murdered and so those hallucinations led him to get a handgun,” Williams said.
He told WFAA Salinas fired 30 rounds from multiple handguns into his family’s home. Four relatives were inside including a child.
“They were relatives of the suspect. When they heard the initial gunshots, they had no idea, no clue that it was the gentleman living in the back of makeshift apartments,” Ferris Deputy City Manager John DeLeon said.
DeLeon and Williams said the first responding officer waited in the middle school parking lot for assistance before pursuing Salinas who ran away after the shooting.
“I just saw him come out of the ditch. We made eye contact. I retreated back. He reached for his pistol. I reached for mine,” Ahuyon said.
He saw Salinas take off. Shortly after, officers arrested Salinas. Thankfully, no one was injured. Williams said Salinas was on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer list back in 2013.
“I think there are things that we can look at within the system to say it needs to get better,” Williams said. WFAA reached out to ICE but has not heard back at the time of publishing.
Salinas is now in Ellis County Jail.
While still shaken up, Ahuyon said he wants to see more protection for residents.
“This area is growing so much I think definitely Ferris needs some more patrolling,” Ahuyon said. “It’s okay to have a weapon. Just be trained. Be responsible.”
That responsibility is what Ahuyon said helped keep his family and neighborhood safe.
