Police Standoff Ends With 3 Dead, 4 Officers Shot
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 2:26 pm
DALLAS, Texas -- A shotgun-wielding man's eight-hour standoff with Dallas police that left three dead and four officers shot ended around noon Wednesday after officers were seen carrying a little girl to a police command post.
NBC 5 reported one of the injured officers was shot during the rescue of the apparently uninjured girl. He was removed on a stretcher and is in stable condition.
Police say the little girl, wearing a baseball cap, was the last hostage held by the man, who killed two adult males inside the apartment. The barricaded man was shot dead by police.
Officers say the suspect was inside the Meadow Parc Apartments in the 4800 block of Duncanville Road since around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, when police were summoned to the complex following reports of gunfire.
Police said they surrounded South Dallas apartments and were able to rescue four of the children when they entered the apartment.
But the three Dallas officers were shot as they tried to enter a room in the apartment where the gunman was holed up, said Sgt. Gil Cerda, a police spokesman.
The officers -- Mike Patino, Ed Coffey and Sgt. Michael Flusche -- were taken to Methodist Hospital where they were listed in good condition, nursing administrator Tom Hall said.
The man's relationship to the hostages was unclear, but he could be the father of some of the children, Cerda said.
"At this time, a motive is still being established," Senior Cpl. Chris Gilliam said. "We're getting some questions answered by the young lady we have downtown...."
Two other children who were being held hostage were escorted out of the apartment by police about four hours after the standoff began, leaving one child with the gunman. A woman was released around 7 a.m.
At least two men, including the gunman, lived at the apartment, he said.
Neighbor Darrell Davis said the gunman had lived at the apartment for a few months but he didn't really know him.
"He seemed just like a regular person," he said.
Davis said he was awakened by the gunfire.
"I heard three big gunshots. About 10 minutes later, the police came, knocked on doors and said that we had to 'get out, get out now,"' Davis said.
"When they found the gunman in there, there were about three shots from a big gun and we all ran for cover," he said.
After the apartments were evacuated, special-weapons officers surrounded the scene as negotiations began. About 6 a.m., police fired tear gas in an attempt to re-enter the building.
NBC 5 reported one of the injured officers was shot during the rescue of the apparently uninjured girl. He was removed on a stretcher and is in stable condition.
Police say the little girl, wearing a baseball cap, was the last hostage held by the man, who killed two adult males inside the apartment. The barricaded man was shot dead by police.
Officers say the suspect was inside the Meadow Parc Apartments in the 4800 block of Duncanville Road since around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, when police were summoned to the complex following reports of gunfire.
Police said they surrounded South Dallas apartments and were able to rescue four of the children when they entered the apartment.
But the three Dallas officers were shot as they tried to enter a room in the apartment where the gunman was holed up, said Sgt. Gil Cerda, a police spokesman.
The officers -- Mike Patino, Ed Coffey and Sgt. Michael Flusche -- were taken to Methodist Hospital where they were listed in good condition, nursing administrator Tom Hall said.
The man's relationship to the hostages was unclear, but he could be the father of some of the children, Cerda said.
"At this time, a motive is still being established," Senior Cpl. Chris Gilliam said. "We're getting some questions answered by the young lady we have downtown...."
Two other children who were being held hostage were escorted out of the apartment by police about four hours after the standoff began, leaving one child with the gunman. A woman was released around 7 a.m.
At least two men, including the gunman, lived at the apartment, he said.
Neighbor Darrell Davis said the gunman had lived at the apartment for a few months but he didn't really know him.
"He seemed just like a regular person," he said.
Davis said he was awakened by the gunfire.
"I heard three big gunshots. About 10 minutes later, the police came, knocked on doors and said that we had to 'get out, get out now,"' Davis said.
"When they found the gunman in there, there were about three shots from a big gun and we all ran for cover," he said.
After the apartments were evacuated, special-weapons officers surrounded the scene as negotiations began. About 6 a.m., police fired tear gas in an attempt to re-enter the building.
I hope all the injured officers come out OK, and my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the lost.