North Texas officers shoot, kill suspect who rammed pursuing cars, fired at cops: police
North Texas police officers shot and killed a person who was wanted on a family violence warrant after the suspect rammed two pursuing law enforcement vehicles and fired at officers early Friday, officials said.
On Wednesday, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office warned the Dalworthington Gardens Department of Public Safety that the suspect had threatened “violence and death” against a family in the city, Chief of Police Greg Petty said in a news release.
The suspect also had an outstanding warrant for assault causing serious bodily injury/family violence with previous conviction, according to the release. The suspect was reported to be heavily armed and had threatened to “kill law enforcement officers.”
Dalworthington Gardens officers encountered the suspect shortly before 2:30 a.m., Petty said in the release. The suspect fled in a vehicle, and the officers followed. The Pantego Police Department and other law enforcement agencies assisted with the chase.
The suspect eventually led officers to Midlothian in Ellis County, Petty said. There the suspect rammed into two of the pursuing police units and fired a gun at officers, police said.
Several officers returned fire, the release said, and wounded the suspect, who was treated at the scene and pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.
The name of the suspect hasn’t been released pending family notification. No officers were injured in the chase or the shooting, according to the release.
Midlothian Assistant Chief of Police Scott Brown confirmed the shooting and said the department will conduct an internal investigation into its officers’ involvement.
The Texas Rangers will lead the criminal investigation into the shooting.
The incident was one of three this week in which officers from Tarrant County were involved in the pursuit and shooting of an armed suspect, according to police.
On Wednesday, a man was killed when he was shot by a SWAT officer during a standoff with Bedford and Hurst police, authorities said. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man who was killed in Bedford as 45-year-old Joshua Keith Hughes, of Southlake. He died from multiple gunshot wounds.
On Thursday evening, Fort Worth police officers shot and injured a man accused of carjacking a driver following a chase on the city’s north side, officials said.
This story was originally published July 12, 2024 at 1:11 PM.
