17-year-old arrested after shots fired at Premont officer, bystander

Gunfire broke out while Premont police were already on scene handling an alleged terroristic threat, turning an early-morning call into a much more dangerous confrontation in the small Jim Wells County city. Police said shots were fired toward a Premont officer and another person around 1:30 a.m. on June 4, and the investigation led to the arrest of 17-year-old Daniel D. Trevino.

Later reporting said Trevino was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of terroristic threat and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Jim Wells County Adult Detention Center. The case underscores how quickly a routine police response can escalate when weapons enter the scene, especially in a community as small as Premont.

The Premont Police Department said Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Jim Wells County sheriff’s deputies assisted with the investigation. That kind of response reflects the seriousness of the incident and the need to secure the scene when officers are dealing with both a threatened public servant and another person caught in the danger zone.

Premont, which had a population of 2,455 in the 2020 census, is the kind of place where a shooting tied to a police investigation is likely to be felt far beyond the original call. Residents in a town that size often know the police department, its officers and the rhythm of late-night calls for service, so a shooting during an investigation can quickly raise concerns about officer safety and neighborhood security.

The June arrest also followed another serious weapons-related case in Premont earlier this year. In January, police searched for a man accused of making a terroristic threat against a local law enforcement officer and firing shots at officers during a search, and that man, Damian Rodriguez, was later arrested in a separate case after a large response involving nearly 100 officers. Together, the cases show that Premont police have faced repeated armed threats during active calls, with local and regional law enforcement working together to contain the danger.