Witness recalls shooting details

By Jessica Coleman    
Staff Writer
    Kyle Coffey readily admits he has not always been on the right side of the law. He is proud of the way he’s turned his life around today. However, because of his past some may find it surprising that he is the one coming to the defense of an officer after rumors flew following an officer-involved shooting in Edna on June 2. Coffey said it was the right thing to do, especially given how quickly rumors flew after the incident.
    On June 2, Edna Police Officer Luis Chavez, an eight-year veteran of the force, responded to a report of a shoplifter from Conner’s Corner Store on S. Highway 59 in Edna. What was expected to be a routine stop ended with the suspect going at the officer with a knife, and the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Matt Pillow of Edna, wounded critically but not mortally.
    If his lawn mower hadn’t stopped working, Coffey and his girlfriend Teri Morgan wouldn’t have been there at all. The couple was on their way to Walmart to replace the machine when they spotted a police SUV coming up on them, and quickly.
    “He was getting somewhere quick,” said Coffey. “He went under the overpass, toward Walmart. I figured it was a traffic stop – somebody speeding or something.”
    Coffey remembers in vivid detail what happened next. Officer Chavez took to the right lane, and exited his vehicle. 
    “I saw a guy walking, and he stopped in front of him and got out. At that time, I got in the left lane, because he was blocking the right lane. At the same time, Chavez stepped back and drew his weapon. “
    Morgan watched until the gunfire began.
    “We saw that boy coming up from our side of the SUV,” she said, “I locked the door of the truck because at that point I didn’t know what was going to happen. At that time he walked in front of our truck and you could see he was holding a knife and was going at Chavez. We heard the first bullet and I went down in the seat of the truck.”
    Coffey, however, found he was unable to look away.
    “He shot the one time, but the guy kept coming. He shot again, and I thought to myself ‘does this guy have a bulletproof vest on?’ This guy just kept going toward Chavez.”
    After witnessing the events, Coffey didn’t realize the gravity of what he had just seen, and the couple went to Walmart and purchased a lawn mower before realizing they really needed to contact law enforcement.
    “I said ‘Kyle, we need to go make a statement,’” Morgan said. “So we went back and said ‘We need to talk to y’all.’”
    Pillow was transported to a Victoria hospital, where he underwent surgery for injuries to his chest and hand. On June 6 he was charged with Criminal Attempt/Capital Murder, a first degree felony. As of press time, his condition was listed as stable, and he was expected to be moved to a private room on June 6.