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Three police officers were shot in Texas while responding to a report of a suicidal man, department officials said.
A suspect, who was not immediately identified, was taken into custody in Flower Mound early Thursday following the gunfire Wednesday evening that wounded three cops in the town outside Dallas, police told The Post.
Cops responded to the home at 7 p.m. Wednesday after getting a call from a woman who said her husband was “making suicidal threats,” Sgt. Jason Rachal said.
The officers interviewed the man’s wife, who said she thought he may have fired a shot inside the home prior to the subsequent welfare check, Rachal said.
“As soon as our officers approached the front door of the residence, the suspect opened fire on them, striking three of our officers,” Rachal said. “They retreated to a perimeter and called a SWAT and crisis negotiation team.”
The officers returned fire, but a standoff that lasted roughly 10 hours ensued, Rachal said. At one point, cops sent in a robot into the home, prompting the suspect to fire at it, as well as outside the front door.
An FBI SWAT then relieved Flower Mound police at 5 a.m. Thursday before they breached the home while using tear gas, leading to the suspect to surrender at about 5:45 a.m. without incident, Rachal said.
Two of the officers were taken to a hospital in stable condition before being released early Thursday. A third officer was treated at the scene and cleared by medics, police said.
“They’re all completely fine,” Rachal said of the wounded cops. “We got them home last night … Everyone has some scrapes and bruises, but they’re fine.”
One of the cops was wounded as he held a tactical shield that took the brunt of the round, but was injured as the glass shattered, Rachal said. A second officer was hit with shrapnel to his arm, shoulder and neck, while the third officer was shot in the chest, but was also using a protective shield at the time, police said.
The man’s wife was not harmed. The department had been to the residence in the past in connection to mental health concerns, police said.
“We had knowledge of him prior to responding to the residence,” Rachal said Thursday.
The suspect, who was being evaluated at a hospital, will be taken into custody once he’s released, police said.
“With patience and professionalism, we averted a great tragedy tonight,” Flower Mound Police Chief Andy Kancel told reporters at a news conference Thursday, the Dallas Morning News reported. “We definitely had someone out there watching them tonight because that could’ve gone terribly wrong.”
Kancel told reporters the suspect was not shot during the exchange of gunfire.
Kancel said one officer was struck by fragments, while another was hurt by glass that hit a ballistic shield. The third officer was shot in the chest, but was wearing body armor that averted more serious injury. The cops were not immediately identified.
With Post wires
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