Killeen Police Shooting Leaves 1 Texas Officer Dead, Another Injured; Suspect Who Shot Officers With AK47 Killed In Action
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A shooting in Killeen, Texas leaves one police officer dead and another injured following a stand-off that took place late Sunday night at the suspect's apartment complex.
The names of the SWAT officers involved and the suspect have not yet been released. The incident took place after the suspect threatened people by the neighborhood swimming pool and then holed himself up in the apartment when the police arrived.
When officers arrived, they found the man inside apartment No. 6E "holding a long rifle in a threatening manner," police said Sunday.
The two officers tried to negotiate with the suspect and eventually managed to coax him to the doorway with his hands up. When the officers approached him to make an arrest, however, the man receded into the apartment, grabbed a nearby AK47, and opened fire on the officers. After landing one fatal shot and another to the other officer's leg, a fellow SWAT team member intervened and killed the suspect.
The first officer was pronounced dead at 1:27 a.m. Sunday morning. The second underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the leg.
"Early this morning, this community experienced the loss of one of Killeen's finest," said police chief Dennis Baldwin. "The days ahead will be challenging, but for now, we are mourning the loss of a great officer. Our hearts and prayers go out to the officer's family during this difficult time."
According to online records, the last time a Killeen law enforcement officer was shot to death in the line of duty was on April 6, 1917 when town marshal John T. Blair, 46, was gunned down while trying to stop a shootout between a father and son.
One of the suspect's neighbors, Thom Russell, said he woke up to the sound of a police officer knocking on his door. He said he wanted to thank the officers for their diligence.
"It could've been a lot worse than it was," said Russell. "It's a travesty. I didn't know the young man. I understand he was a soldier, which...is bothersome."