Relatives of suspect react to shooting that injured 3 Pueblo officers

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Pueblo officials held a press conference, unveiling new details after a shooting Tuesday night injured three of their officers.

Pueblo Chief of Police Chris Noeller spoke to reporters as he brimmed with emotion and strong words, holding not only anger for the suspect but also for lawmakers.

Chief Noeller said the suspect who is accused of shooting three of his officers had a lengthy record, and should never have been on the street to begin with.

"[He] had a criminal history that spans pages. He had 14 felony arrests, most of which pled to misdemeanors," said the chief.

Police say the suspect, Billy Soto, was a self-admitted MS13 gang member. Chief Noeller says he was out on bond for three felony cases. He was also wanted on attempted murder charges, according to police.

"The blood of my officers lays at the steps of our Capitol," said Chief of Police Chris Noeller.

Chief Noeller said Colorado's "soft on crime" approaches have put his officers and the community in danger, and this is just the latest example.

Hear his strong words for yourself below:

The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) said the shooting of their officers took place in the Bessemer neighborhood.

According to the PPD, an officer responding to a call was shot at in the area of Mesa Avenue and Cedar Street. Other officers and Pueblo County deputies responded to the scene. During the shooting, three officers were wounded, PPD says. As of Tuesday evening, PPD said the officers were all in stable condition at local hospitals.

The PPD said the suspect ran off and continued shooting at officers. Ultimately, police say the suspect was shot and died at the scene. Police initially told KRDO13 that they didn't believe any other suspects were involved in the incident, but said that could change depending on the results of the investigation.

The 10 Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will be investigating the shooting, police said.

KRDO13 also spoke with relatives of Soto who wanted to speak out on his behalf.

"I wanted to let the community know that that was my family member who was shot by the police. We want to apologize to the policemen who are here to protect us and their families," said Ramona Gallegos.

She said their family is heartbroken right now grieving the loss of Soto. Gallegos said Soto grew up in Pueblo and came from a good family.

"We took a loss. But he's far from being a cop killer. He was in fear for his life because there was police brutality on him personally when he was jailed, he was incarcerated," said Gallegos.

Gallegos said that she wishes to God that this didn't happen to her family. She said her heart and voice go out to Billy Junior and their family grieving.

"I don't want his family, my family, or our immediate family to think the worst of him because I know him personally," shared Gallegos, "He was a good person."

She said she remembers changing his diapers as a baby and watching him grow up. Gallegos says Soto would compete with her children for honor roll positions as kids. In the wake of the shootout, she says she wanted to speak out on behalf of her family.

"I do apologize from our family to the police officers that were hurt and their families. You know, I'm very sorry. It wasn't me that did it. But I do know that we lost Billy Junior," said Gallegos.

Her family added that they believe more resources are needed in the Pueblo community to assist people who may be struggling with getting back on their feet, homelessness, and reentering the community.