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Bounty hunters, fugitive killed in gunfight at car dealership

Posted at 6:01 PM, Jun 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-01 18:01:13-04

Three men were killed after a gunfight inside a Texas car dealership involving bounty hunters and the man they were trying to capture.

And it all happened Tuesday inside of a showroom filled with customers and employees.

Bounty hunters Gabriel Bernal and Fidel Garcia were killed while trying to capture fugitive Ramon Michael Hutchinson at a Nissan dealership in Greenville, Texas, just outside of Dallas. Hutchinson was also killed.

The bounty hunters had been waiting for Hutchinson at the dealership for several hours.

“We didn’t give them permission, but we also didn’t tell them that they had to leave,” dealership owner Rick Ford told CNN affiliate KTVT.

“We were told they were federal agents so we didn’t ask them to leave. They were dressed casual. We thought they were plainclothes officers.”

Ford said the men — who worked for a private company called US Fugitive Recovery & Extradition — didn’t show any badges or ID.

Hutchinson, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was wanted on drug and other charges. The bounty hunters had a tip that Hutchinson would be at the dealership that day because his girlfriend was trading in her vehicle.

When Hutchinson arrived at the dealership, a scuffle started as Bernal and Garcia tried to apprehend him, KTVT reports. That’s when all three men pulled out guns.

“I’ve been told that the two gentleman approached him with handcuffs and were going to try to arrest him and that’s when the shooting started,” Ford said.

Cell phone video by someone inside captured the start of the gunfight. About 20 shots are fired in just seconds. Employees and customers are seen scrambling for cover as people scream.

Miraculously, no one else was hurt.

Ford said the dealership will reopen on Friday.