Accused library shooter to undergo second psyche evaluation

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Humberto Paz, the man charged in the deadly shooting of 71-year-old Vahid Khaledi, went before a judge Thursday morning at the Cameron County Courthouse.

Paz's attorneys spoke with the judge and asked that he be evaluated again by a psychiatrist to decide if he is mentally fit for trial. The judge granted Paz and his legal team until Dec. 9 to be reevaluated by a doctor and come back to court for another status hearing.

Paz, 33, was originally charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after reportedly shooting a man in the head at the Brownsville Public Library Main Branch in May.

On May 11, officers arrived at the library, located on the 2600 block of Central Boulevard to find Khaledi unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said there was a verbal altercation between the two men before the shooting. As previously reported, ValleyCentral spoke with witnesses of the shooting who stated Paz was a regular at the library and often spoke frantically while pretending to be on the phone.

Additionally, a search into Paz’s background revealed his service in the U.S. Army Reserve between 2008 and 2016.

Abril Luna, Public Information Officer for the Brownsville Police Department, said Paz has suffered from mental health problems in the past, but that there were never any indications of threats being made.

Paz remains jailed on a $3.7M bond. He is to go before the judge again on Dec. 9 for another status hearing.