Affidavit Reveals New Details about the Ambush of an Oklahoma City Police Officer

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An affidavit reveals new details about the ambush of an Oklahoma City police officer who's recovering from several gunshot wounds.

Officer Katie Lawson, 27, was shot Sunday, August 29, near N.W. 39th Street and N. Miller shortly after leaving the scene of a traffic stop.

Officer Lawson said as she drove behind a closed business, she noticed a man wearing dark clothing standing beside a fence. As she radioed dispatch that she planned to talk to the man, he raised a rifle and began shooting at her patrol car.

Officer Lawson was struck numerous times in the leg, face and other parts of the body. She was able to draw her gun, get out of the car and return fire at the suspect. That's when he stopped firing and ran away.

Moments before she was shot, Officer Lawson had assisted an Oklahoma County Deputy in the arrest of a DUI suspect named Hector Mercado. Police say Mercado's family was responsible for the shooting of Officer Lawson.

Officers arrested Mercado's wife, 52-year-old Vilma Escalante, and her two sons, 18-year-old Hector Escalante and 17-year-old Alex Mercado. Investigators believe while Vilma Escalante pleaded with the Oklahoma County Deputy to release her husband, her sons were ambushing Officer Lawson.

Police searched the family's home and found a rifle and ammunition that may have been used in the shooting.

During the search of the house, police detained the two teenagers at the police station and recorded their conversation. According to the affidavit, Hector Escalante told Alex Mercado he was going to admit to police that he shot officer Lawson. Mercado allegedly told him not to say anything, then told his brother that he'd hidden the gun where police wouldn't find it. When detectives questioned them, both teens denied they were involved in the shooting and claimed they were inside their home at the time.

Vilma Escalante, Hector Escalante and Alex Mercado have been charged with shooting with intent to kill.

Officer Lawson is in the hospital in good condition.  She's been on the force for four years.

More:

• Police Arrest 3 Accused of Shooting Oklahoma City Police Officer