Jack Howland
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
DENTON, Texas — A Denton officer fatally shot a man armed with a frying pan and a cleaver who had stabbed a police officer and begun advancing toward other officers inside of an apartment complex early Tuesday morning, police said.
The suspect, the injured officer and the officer who shot the suspect weren’t identified Tuesday morning. The officer who shot the suspect is a six-year veteran of the department and the injured officer is new to Denton but has more than 10 years of previous law enforcement experience, police said.
Officers were dispatched around 3 a.m. Tuesday to the 200 block of Inman Street, where multiple 911 callers had reported a man was banging on numerous doors and asking people to open them, as well as shattering all the light fixtures in a hallway with a frying pan, police said. When officers arrived on scene, police said, some stood at the base of a main staircase while another obtained information from a caller.
At this time, the suspect reportedly came out of an apartment and began moving down the stairs toward the officers. Officers saw he had a cleaver and a frying pan in his hands and gave him loud verbal instructions to drop the weapons, police said.
The suspect continued advancing toward officers, police said, and an officer deployed his Taser. The Taser reportedly struck the suspect, causing him to fall, but he got back up.
One officer then fired his weapon and the suspect fell to the ground, police said. Officers began performing life-saving measures and called for Denton Fire/Rescue to respond.
During this time, police said, officers learned one officer had been stabbed by the suspect.
The suspect and the injured officer were transported to a hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead and the officer was admitted in stable condition, police said.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting, which is standard protocol with an officer-involved shooting, police said. The internal affairs division of the Denton Police Department is also conducting an administrative investigation of the shooting.
The officer who shot the suspect will be placed on administrative duty, which is standard practice for an officer-involved shooting, police said.
Police said in a news release “this event is a tragedy to all involved, including the decedent and his family.”