A Texas police officer has been accused of killing three people and critically injuring his former partner before allegedly trying to flee the United States with their three-year-old son amid a bitter custody battle.

Chad Eberle, 35, a former Bexar County Precinct 2 deputy constable and Army veteran, was arrested Tuesday following a deadly shooting inside a home in Mexico that left two unidentified women and one unidentified man dead. 

The shooting also left the mother of his three-year-old son critically injured, though she survived, according to Mexican newspaper La Razon.

According to the paper, the triple homicide allegedly erupted during an argument after Eberle was told he could not take their three-year-old son as the pair remained embroiled in a tumultuous custody battle.

He was taken into custody on charges of homicide and femicide in Mexico, according to a statement shared to X by the State Attorney General's Office of Coahuila de Zaragoza.

News of Eberle's arrest quickly rippled across Texas, where he currently serves with the Santa Anna Police Department. 

Police Chief Ryan Tucker told KSAT Investigates that the allegations came as 'a shock.' 

He also revealed that Eberle, who serves as a reserve officer, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave as the Santa Anna Police Department investigates the allegations surrounding the deadly attack. 

Tucker said he had reported Eberle’s arrest to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) and was working with the US consulate in Mexico as the case continues to unfold, according to the outlet.

The deadly violence erupted on August 4 at a home in Saltillo, the capital and largest city in the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila, according to La Razon. 

Eberle allegedly opened fire on four people, killing three and leaving the mother of his three-year-old son critically injured in the hospital. 

He then allegedly tried to flee the country with the toddler but was arrested while attempting to cross back into Texas at International Bridge II in Piedras Negras, located across the border from Eagle Pass. 

Coahuila Attorney General Federico Fernández said judicial authorities swiftly issued an arrest warrant for Eberle after the state Attorney General’s Office identified him as allegedly responsible for the crimes. 

In an update shared on X, Fernández said the warrant was quickly executed and Eberle was taken to the Saltillo Men’s Penitentiary, where he will appear before a control judge. 

The father faces charges of homicide and femicide - a gender-based killing that the United Nations defines as the intentional murder of women or girls because of their sex. 

While femicide is not a standalone criminal offense in the United States, several Latin American countries have adopted laws specifically criminalizing gender-based killings of women.

Fernández also revealed that the child had been taken to Saltillo and placed under the custody and care of the Prosecutor's Office for Boys, Girls and the Family, known as PRONNIF, 'to guarantee the comprehensive protection of his rights.'

He said protecting the child remains a priority, adding that PRONNIF has been involved since the beginning and currently holds full custody.

Records show Eberle previously worked for several other law enforcement agencies, including serving as a deputy constable for Bexar County Constable Precinct 2 from 2019 to 2020, as well as with the Northside ISD Police Department and Somerset Police Department.

Photos shared by the Lockney Police Department on Facebook also show Eberle during his time in the Army.

Additional records revealed that he served with the department from 2022 to 2023, while TCOLE training records also list his military service. 

The allegations against him remain pending in Mexico’s court system.