Suspect charged with attempted murder of Denton officer shot during traffic stop
A Denton police officer was shot in the head and a pair of motorists were in custody after gunfire erupted early Tuesday during a traffic stop, police said.
The officer, Urbano Rodriguez Jr., was in critical but stable condition at Medical City Denton following surgery. Rodriguez, who has been a city police officer for five years, was also shot in the leg, Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
“He has a long path to recovery,” Dixon said. “But I am keeping every faith in my heart that he will pull through. He’s a fighter. I have no reason to believe that Urban won’t come back bigger and better than he was before.”
Rodriguez was shot in the moments just after a second officer, a rookie, arrived to back him up on the traffic stop. Officer Randy Cole returned fire at a man and woman in the vehicle Rodriguez had stopped, injuring them with superficial wounds, Dixon said.
The suspects both were shot in their arms. Following a car chase, they were arrested, taken to a hospital for treatment and then to the Denton County Jail, police said.
Antwon Pinkston, 33, was suspected of shooting Rodriguez, authorities said. He was booked on suspicion of attempted capital murder of a peace officer. Pinkston was a passenger in the car that Rodriguez stopped. He was held on $5 million bond.
The driver of the car, Michele Stacey, 44, was being held on a probation violation but may be charged with other crimes, police said.
“Right now, we have no idea what the motive might have been for this,” Dixon said.
Rodriguez initiated a traffic stop for a defective equipment violation and expired registration about midnight in the 1800 block of West University Drive in Denton near a Taco Bell, police said.
After the shooting, Stacey led Carrollton and Farmers Branch officers in a chase, according to Denton police, and the officers eventually detained Stacey and Pinkston Tuesday morning near a gas station at Luna Road and Valley View Lane in Carrollton.
The Texas Rangers were leading the investigation into the shooting with the assistance of the Denton police major crimes unit.
Dixon tweeted at 7:53 a.m. “our officer is continuing to fight.” He said he was thankful for the medical staff at Medical City Denton caring for the officer as well as the officers, dispatchers and firefighters who helped to get him to the hospital.
Photos from Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV (Channel 8) showed authorities inspecting the scene of the shooting outside of a Taco Bell.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 6:53 AM.
