Rodolfo Cardona professionally knew Marcus Antley, one of the victims from the casino shooting. Antley was a retired agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
EAGLE PASS, Texas — While a community continues to grapple with the deadly casino shooting, first responders with the Eagle Pass Fire Department are reflecting on the chaos from that tragic night.
“Until you’re actually faced with a situation, it really opens your eyes to the catastrophic nature of responding to an incident like this,” Eagle Pass Assistant Fire Chief Rodolfo Cardona said.
Cardona said his department rushed to the casino late Saturday night after reports of shots fired.
When he arrived, hundreds of people were already scrambling out of the casino.
Fire crews from Company B immediately began treating the wounded alongside law enforcement and other emergency personnel.
“We had hundreds of people exiting at that time and running for cover. A lot of them did not understand what was going on,” Cardona said. “Without a doubt, it’s what we may refer to as controlled chaos. The performance and the training supersedes the chaotic environment.”
The multi-agency response led to the arrest of alleged gunman Keryan Jones of San Antonio following a brief pursuit in Wilson County that involved a PIT maneuver and deployment of a Taser.
Jones is accused of killing two people and injuring five others.
Cardona knew Marcus Antley on a professional level, who was a retired agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“I did meet him a time or two when he was an agent here at CBP with work,” Cardona said. “It’s unfortunate and we definitely extend our condolences to his family, friends and coworkers.”
The Eagle Pass Fire Department is now focused on making sure its own team has the mental health resources they need to recover from responding to such a traumatic event.
“They’ve faced a lot of tragedy over the years, especially through the immigration crisis and prior to that the COVID events that we had,” Cardona said. “They have really shown that resiliency for this department and for the people that they serve.”
Jones remains in custody in Maverick County on a $4.5 million bond.