DeSoto Group Home Shooting Incident Under Investigation
Man wounded, but stable after allegedly drawing DeSoto Police into planned confrontation.
It was the type of emergency call that no officer ever wants to respond to. Just after Midnight Friday, dispatchers received what turned out to be a fraudulent call from a known subject. He stated his full name and claimed that there was an active shooting at his group home and that all inside were dead. The message was alarming, but officers would not know if the claim was real or not until they responded. Shortly before officers arrived they received information that the caller had threatened to commit “Suicide by Cop” during a previous call in October 2018.
DeSoto Police arrived at the group home in the 500 block of Meadow Hill Drive shortly after midnight. After arriving they cautiously set up a perimeter around the structure. Officers were across the street when they saw an adult male emerge from the front door of the building carrying a large knife. The suspect reportedly raised the knife in a threatening manner and began advancing towards the responding officers. In spite of several shouted warnings from officers to “drop the knife” the suspect kept moving forward with the knife raised. One officer fired two shots as the suspect approached the sidewalk, striking him in the abdomen.
Suspect Is Stable
The suspect was transported to an area hospital for treatment and is in stable condition. There were no injuries to officers, neighbors or residents of the group home. Because this incident was limited to one person in a specific facility, Police view it as an isolated incident. They feel that there is no immediate threat to the public. At this time, the identity of the suspect and the officers involved are not being released.
While DeSoto Police are investigating the overall incident, the Grand Prairie Police Major Crime Unit is handling the investigation of the officer-involved shooting portion of the incident to ensure transparency.
