ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — A chaotic scene in Orange County began as a home invasion, turned into a standoff and ended after a suspect became trapped in the same fire he is accused of starting.
The owner of the now destroyed home recalled what he described as every homeowner's worst nightmare.
It happened on Saturday, June 4, 2022 along Highway 62 just north of Interstate 10. The incident began shortly before 4 p.m. and lasted for several hours.
Enrique Perez said he was doing yard work in his backyard, when he noticed his back door opening. The person he thought was his wife returning home was reportedly 39-year-old Eric Ray-Martin Thibodeaux armed with a shotgun.
“I can't put it in words right now. It's just, to me, it's like unexplainable right now,” Perez said.
Perez said Thibodeaux opened fire, shooting and injuring the homeowner.
“When the door opened up, the barrel of the shotgun poked through there,” Perez said. “So when the barrel poked through, I grabbed it with my left hand, and at that time, he pulled it back. So, when he pulled it back, I shut the door with my right hand, and sometime between me shutting it and putting my hand on the door, he shot through the door, and he hit me in the arm.”
After he was shot, Perez ran to a neighbor’s house to call for help. His wife, who just made it home with their 8-month-old son, did not know what was taking place, so Perez said he had to act fast.
“Went back inside, got my son and they were waiting over here at my neighbor's house,” Perez said.
Perez was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries while deputies talked to his wife and other witnesses at the scene. Witness statements led deputies to assume Thibodeaux was still somewhere on the property.
While deputies were on scene, Thibodeaux fired from inside the home. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including a SWAT team, responded to get the him out of the home.
The standoff between law enforcement and Thibodeaux lasted almost three hours.
During the standoff, Thibodeaux is believed to have started a fire in the home that grew and engulfed the house in smoke and flames. Deputies sent in a robot to see if Thibodeaux was still alive, but they could not see him because of the thick smoke.
The smoke became to much for Thibodeaux, and he began to call for help from inside the home. He eventually broke through a side window and surrendered to police.
Perez was released from the hospital. He was at a loss for words as he stood outside his burned home.
"If he's able to do this to me, then he's capable of doing it to some other family out there,” Perez said.
Perez said he worked on the home since he and his family moved in two years ago. He said it was tough to see all the love and work they’ve poured into it gone so quickly.
"It's crazy to think that your house is perfectly normal whenever you left, and then you show up, and it's like burnt, you know," Perez said.
Perez’s daughter was at sister's house that day. Perez said he is happy she was not home, and his wife and kids are safe.
Thibodeaux is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and arson and is currently being held in the Orange County on bonds totaling $750,000.
