Killeen police shooting has left one police officer dead and another one wounded on Saturday night following a shootout at a Central Texas apartment complex with a man armed with a military-style assault weapon, according to KHOU news.
The suspect also was killed in the shootout at the Grandon Manor Apartments, near Killeen Mall. The officer was killed with an AK47 after responding to a call about a man threatening residents with a firearm.
According to the report, two officers arrived at Grandon Manor Apartments at 11:40 p.m. where a suspect was hiding inside the building. A tactical unit was dispatched and one of the cops attempted to negotiate with the suspect. The still unidentified suspect agreed to come out of the building with his hands in the air, but he did not make it all the way outside.
The Killeen police shooting got intense when the suspect suddenly opened fire on police.
"He killed the cop and I was scared because I have a two year old and it's literally like a hundred yards from my house," neighbor Heather Lanham tells KXXV.
"All of a sudden I hear a boom. [...] It sounded like a gunshot. I heard more, several, like someone was spraying [gunfire] and I come outside and the cops were yelling at the gentleman that lived over there put it down, put it down, come out and then it went from there," Lanham explains.
The names of the police officers involved in the Killeen police shooting have not been released. Killeen police Chief Dennis Baldwin issued a statement. "Early this morning, this community experienced the loss of one of Killeen's finest," he said. "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."
The Killeen police shooting has left authorities searching for a motive. An investigation is ongoing at this time, police officers said.
