DPS: Man Involved in Friday's Officer-Involved Shooting 67 Years Old, No Update on Condition

SAN ANGELO, TX - Shortly after 11 a.m., San Angelo Fire Department dispatched to a structure fire in the 2100 block of Bradford. Shortly after that call, Dispatch notified San Angelo Police that a man was standing in front of the burning residence with a shotgun.

Immediately, Police responded and worked to block off the area. The man remained in front of the residence with a shotgun staring at police.

SAPD called shots fired, and the house continues to burn.

LIVE! is on scene, and we will provide an update when available.

UPDATE 11:43 a.m.

SAFD firefighters are getting the fire under control using extreme precautions. It's unclear if the suspect with the shotgun started the fire on purpose, and police would not confirm if the suspect is in custody.

According to witnesses in the area, they heard four shots.

Police evacuated residents in the area for safety precautions, and Police will be holding a media briefing shortly.

San Angelo ISD confirmed that Bradford Elementary is on lockdown for precautionary measures; however, school officials clarified students are not in danger.

UDPATE 12:28 P.M.

Officer Tracy Gonzalez, public information officer for SAPD, said at approximately 11:03 a.m. this morning, she personally received a call this morning from David Wagner with KLST and KSAN. He advised that he had just spoken to a man who called in to say he was about to have a police standoff, and to get their cameras and head to 21st and Bradford St.

"I worked with Mr. Wagner to obtain the telephone number that the caller used to place that call. I, in turn, immediately notified our patrol supervisors of this alleged pending incident."

In the meantime, police began investigating that phone number to determine who the potential caller was.

"Shortly thereafter, our dispatch received a call from a man--the call came in at about 11:06--and he said he was going to kill officers, that he had weapons. His intent was to shoot officers, and that our dispatch needed to evacuate nearby neighbors," said Gonzalez.

Officers responded to the area, and with prior information into this incident, worked to immediately establish a perimeter, and also notified Bradford Elementary about the situation so school officials could put the school on lockdown.

"Our officers arrived, and prior to their actual arrival time, additional neighbors started calling our dispatch center to inform us that there was a house fire," said Gonzalez.

Officers did find the house in question on fire, and the house is in the 1200 block of E. 21st St.

"Officers observed a man who had a long gun," added Gonzalez. "He was holding a weapon. Officers worked to establish communication with that subject."

At some point during that communication, the man raised his weapon and engaged SAPD officers in gunfire. 

"Our officer, at that point, took deadly force against the suspect and shot the suspect," Gonzalez explained. "I don't have an amount of times; we'll have to get that to you later, but the man was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment."

Gonzalez said it's important that, even though they had the fire calls coming in, and officers saw smoke, SAPD kept the SAFD fire personnel at bay because of the two different factors at play.

She said, "It's really important that we keep them safe. So they were not able to address the fire immediately."

When they took the suspect into custody and transported him to the hospital, that's when SAFD made entry to address the fire.

"That's what we have so far. We do know that there were other persons around the residence where the suspect was. It appears nobody else is injured, and we are working to get statements from several neighbors who witnessed, or were nearby when the incident occurred."

Gonzalez said she has no other information on the male suspect, nor his condition at this time.

This is an ongoing investigation, and it will take some time to address the house fire and make entry when it safe to do so in order for officials to collect evidence that will help in the investigation.

Gonzalez said she will release more information later in a press release.

Chief Frank Carter said the most important thing in this situation was establishing a perimeter and ensuring the safety of first responders.

"Obviously, we had a threat on the front porch, and we had to remove that threat before we allowed the fire department to move in and extinguish the fire," said Chief Carter.

Chief Carter reiterated that he did not know the suspect's medical condition, but was notified that when he was loaded into the ambulance, there was movement.

Carter said this kind of incident does not occur in San Angelo often, and residents in the area posted on Facebook information that showed them attempting to aid the suspect with the fire. He told them to back off, and retreated back into the burning house.

The Chief also said when residents see things like this to go back into their residences and leave the area. Carter also said he was thankful the man called in his intent ahead of time and made his threat.

"We're working on that with 911 team," Chief Carter said.

He added that he was proud of his officers and how they handled the situation. They went by the book, he said. No one was hurt, other than the suspect.

"It was textbook, and I couldn't ask for those guys to do a better job," said Carter.

Chief Carter added that he wouldn't deem this incident suicide by cop at this time, but it is leaning in that direction based on the call ahead of time.

As per protocol, the Texas Rangers have also been notified of the incident and are on their way to proceed with an internal investigation, and proceed with the officer involved shooting aspect of the case. He did not comment on whether one officer or more than one officer shot the suspect.

"We ask that everyone remain vigilant," Chief Carter stated. "Times are changing, and if they see a threat, obviously call the Police Department. Again, I'm very satisfied the way we responded here today. These situations across the United States seem to be coming up more and more, and it's very important for us to have the training and the skills necessary to respond to this type of incident. Again, I'm very proud."

Carter added that this incident occurred so fast, he didn't have time to research the past history, or calls of service, at this particular residence.

Update 5:33 p.m.

In an update this evening, SAPD Public Information Officer Tracy Gonzalez reiterated the events from today, and said the man involved in today's officer-involved shooting is in critical condition after engaging police with a long rifle. His name is not being released at this time.

She also reiterated that no other persons were reported injured during the preliminary field investigation.

Texas Rangers are conducting the official investigation into this officer-involved shooting, which is standard protocol, said Gonzalez. Additional information will only be released though their agency’s officials.

Update Jan. 16 @ 4:13 p.m.

Sgt. Justin Baker, Texas Highway Patrol, Safety Education and Media Communications Officer for DPS, confirmed that the man shot by police Friday is 67 years of age. He also said the Texas Ranger Division was called to assist with the case and is working jointly with SAPD. However, he mentioned that the investigation is on-going, and no other additional information is available at this time. The man's medical condition has yet to be confirmed as well.

Brenda Wright, 60, was arrested Friday evening for attempted Capital Murder of a Peace Officer or Fireman, but her role in the case has yet to be confirmed. She was at the residence on E. 21st St. at the time of the incident, and is listed as a co-owner, according to county records.