Category: Police Shooting

On Sunday, November 26, 2017, security staff at Parks Mall in Arlington, Texas, reported that they were in pursuit of a suspect who had allegedly stolen two pairs of sunglasses from the Sunglass Hut. Two Arlington police officers at the mall went to the scene. The suspect was running towards an escalator going from a lower to an upper deck. There was an officer on each deck. According to authorities, the suspect pulled out a firearm and directed it toward the police officer on the lower deck. They described the firearm as appearing to be an imitation or replica. The police officer on the lower deck fired his weapon, allegedly striking the suspect. Authorities say the suspect is in his early 20’s, and he was rushed to a local hospital. According to one source, the suspect is in critical condition. There were no other injuries at the scene of the alleged police-involved shooting.

People were asked to avoid the area, and the mall was evacuated and closed. It opened during normal hours as of the following morning.

Police officers recovered the firearm the suspect was carrying, and they said that it fires pellets or “BBs.” Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson posted a message on Twitter that such a replica of a firearm should never be used in criminal endeavors, since police officers do not have adequate training that could help them distinguish between a real and an imitation gun within seconds. He said officers are pursuing legislation to address the dangers created by realistic-looking faux firearms.

Mall shoppers said it was a chaotic scene, when shots were fired. Reportedly, kids were trampled, people were panicked and crying, and many shoppers crammed into restrooms. In general, people didn’t know what to do.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

An officer-involved shooting occurred in Dalhart, Texas, on Monday, October 16, 2017, and the Texas Rangers are investigating the incident. At about 2:15 a.m. Monday, officers with the Dalhart Police Department went to the Dalhart Self Storage in response to a call about a suicidal individual. When they arrived, officers encountered a woman who had a shotgun with her. Police officers said they negotiated with the woman and tried to get her to put the shotgun on the ground. They say that, instead, she turned the shotgun toward the police officers. In response, they shot her an undisclosed number of times. An emergency medical team went to the scene and gave the woman treatment. She was then transported first to a Dalhart hospital and then to Lubbock’s University Medical Center. The Texas Rangers also went to the scene, where they began their investigation.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

According to a custodial death report filed with the Texas State Attorney General’s Office by the La Porte Police Department,  La Porte police officers shot and killed Patrick Ford, 55 years of age, on or about September 19, 2017.  Officers allegedly responded to a report of a man walking up and down a public street carrying a rifle and possibly firing it.  When officers arrived, the man was allegedly inside his residence.  He was allegedly yelling and threatening officers from inside the residence.  Allegedly, after a standoff, he came out of the residence and pointed a rifle at officers.  Three officers then shot and killed Mr. Ford. We are only providing information in this post and do not allege that anyone did anything improper.

Police officers in Rockwall, Texas were dispatched to the Bent Creek condominiums area on a call about an alleged aggravated assault on a family member on September 21, 2017. Officers say that they saw the suspect, who then began allegedly ramming into police vehicles using his SUV. One officer then fired non-lethal beanbags at the man. A second officer then allegedly shot the suspect with his service handgun. The man’s name has not yet been released. He was quickly transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the police, the man who was shot had an active felony warrant for family violence. Police officers had reason to believe the man was in the area because of the earlier report of aggravated assault.

The police officer who fired non-lethal rounds is still on duty. Per department policy, the officer involved in the alleged fatal police shooting is now on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation. The Texas Rangers will provide assistance to the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation into the fatal shooting.

Public trust of police officers and their use of force has come under a great deal of fire in recent years. Rallies, riots, and public outcries across the country are directed at police officers in regard to specific cases where fatal police shootings are perceived as being unjustified. The issue is complicated, since police officers undergo specific training to protect both the public and themselves in incidents involving possible criminal suspects believed to be a danger to law enforcement officers or others.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

On Thursday, September 21, 2017, in Josephine, Texas, about 30 miles north of Dallas, police shot a man who was holding a firearm. The man had pulled his pickup truck in front of Josephine City Hall and got out holding a rifle. Officers say that they gave repeated commands for him to drop the weapon. When he did not comply, police allegedly fired multiple shots. Neighbors reported hearing up to ten gunshots. It’s unknown how many times the suspect was hit, and his identity has not yet been revealed. He was injured in the police shooting and said to be in serious condition. Afterwards, he was transported by medical helicopter to a hospital. No one else was harmed.

Josephine is in Collin County and has a population of about 1,300. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, police received a tip at about 4 p.m. that a person who had allegedly been in a disturbance of some kind at city hall a few days prior was on his way there again. Details of the initial disturbance were not provided. Law enforcement officers were already at city hall when the man arrived with a rifle.

The police shooting is being investigated by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers.

Police are under far more scrutiny than in previous times, with an increasing number of public outcries when shootings are believed to be racially motivated or instances in which excessive force was used.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

The death of Ismael Lopez in Southaven, Mississippi, on July 23, 2017, has attracted widespread attention. Jeffrey Pounders, the DeSoto County Coroner, said Lopez died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the weapon was a 9mm pistol. Lopez was allegedly shot in the head and died after Southaven Police Department officers went to the wrong address. Officers were looking for a man who lived just a few feet away from the Lopez residence. Tragically, the mistake of address on the part of police cost Lopez his life. The controversy surrounding the alleged fatal police shooting also centers around different versions provided by the police and family members.

According to his wife, Lopez was asleep until he heard the dog barking. He got up and the next thing she knew, shots were fired. The wife also said that when she went into the room and saw her husband lying on the floor, there wasn’t a gun near him. Although there were guns in the household, she said that her husband was not in possession of any of them at the time he was allegedly shot.

Police officers say that when they knocked on the door, it opened and a dog attacked them. The dog was shot and then they say they saw someone at the door holding a gun, and he refused to drop the weapon. Fires were allegedly shot through the front door, however, which doesn’t seem to track with what officers say happened.

The investigation into the police shooting incident continue, and there has been no mention of the use of body cameras, which could provide greater insight into what happened.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor