The Lewisville Police Department responded to the 2100 block of South State Highway 121 Business for a report of a suicide attempt in the early morning hours of Thursday, which resulted in a barricaded man exchanging gunfire with police officers.
Shortly after 3 a.m., LPD officers responded to a call in which an adult male subject was threatening suicide and actively threatening to kill people around him. The suspect was armed with a handgun. Callers reported the suspect had fired shots, and possibly shot an adult woman inside his room before officers arrived.
As LPD officers were arriving, the male subject was confirmed to be armed with a handgun and fired at police officers. No officers were hit, and officers did not have a chance to defend themselves by returning fire before the suspect disappeared into the building.
Officers requested an armored vehicle (known as a BEARCAT) for assistance. As the BEARCAT was arriving, the suspect reappeared, still armed with a handgun, and fired at officers again, striking the BEARCAT. This time, officers returned fire. It was not known if the suspect was hit. He retreated inside the building. LPD contacted regional SWAT assets to assist with the call.
SWAT arrived and was later able to get the suspect to surrender. He was taken into custody at 8:05 a.m.. He appears to have gunshot injuries, but it is not known if they were self-inflicted or from the officers’ gunfire. Upon entry to the room, officers discovered a deceased adult female.
LPD Criminal Investigations Division (CID) are on scene, and will investigate the suspect’s unlawful actions against LPD officers and determine what charges are appropriate. CID will also evaluate the circumstances surrounding the deceased woman and their relationship to the suspect. He will likely face charges for this as well.
As with any deadly force incident, there will be two separate, but concurrent, investigations. The LPD Internal Affairs Unit is conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether the officers’ actions complied with department policies. At the same time, the Texas Rangers are conducting an independent criminal investigation into the use of deadly force. Having both administrative and criminal reviews is standard procedure in these circumstances.
The officers involved in this incident have been placed on critical incident leave, which is also standard for an event such as this.
At this time, no additional injuries have been reported, either to civilians or to police personnel. The deceased female’s identity will be released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
