Shooting is third in 2 months
By Brenda Bernet
brenda.bernet@amarillo.com
A Dumas police officer shot and killed an armed man Thursday night after responding to a domestic-violence call, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday.
Texas Rangers are investigating the matter.
The incident marks the third officer-involved shooting in two months in the Texas Panhandle.
Dumas police responded Thursday night to a 911 call from a woman in the 200 block of Peach Street in Dumas.
The woman reported a domestic dispute about 9:20 p.m. with her boyfriend, John Calhoun Ward IV, 38, according to information from DPS. Ward had obtained a pistol, pointed it at the woman and threatened to kill her before a Dumas police officer arrived on the scene, according to DPS.
Ward confronted the officer at the front door and pointed a gun at him.
The officer, who has not been identified, shot Ward, who was pronounced dead at Moore County Hospital, the DPS said.
The woman has credited the Dumas police officer with saving her life, DPS officials said. She was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries suffered in the attack and has been released. The officer was not injured.
The Dumas Police Department referred questions about the incident to David M. Green, 69th District attorney. Green did not know whether the officer was on paid leave from his job or not.
Green and Dumas Police Chief Dale Alwan have delayed the release of the officer's identity to give him time to cope with the incident.
"This has been a very traumatic incident on the officer," Green said.
Four Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting, Green said, and an autopsy was ordered Friday on Calhoun.
Green said he could not remember any other situations when a Dumas police officer shot and killed anyone since he began practicing law in Moore County in 1986.
"Based on the briefings that I have received, I do not anticipate any charges being filed against this officer," Green said.
But Green will present all information and evidence gathered by Rangers to a grand jury, possibly Jan. 7 or Feb. 11. The grand jury will determine if deadly force was justified and whether or not charges will be filed.
A police officer can use deadly force when the officer has an imminent or immediate fear of deadly force toward the officer or someone else, Green said, and pointing a firearm at close range is typically an imminent threat.
Texas Rangers are expected to conclude their investigation of two unidentified police officers from Childress who shot and killed Tabaris Kashawn Brown, 28, on the morning of Nov. 21. In that incident, an officer tried to stop Brown for speeding, and authorities believe Brown led the officer on a chase before stopping and exiting his vehicle. Luke Inman, the 100th District attorney, has said Brown had a loaded gun in his hand and pointed it at officers before they fired their weapons.
Rangers have submitted a report on the incident to their captain for approval, Inman said. He anticipates receiving the report next week. Police Chief Reece Bowen could not be reached Friday.
Another officer-involved shooting occurred in September in Amarillo. The shooting occurred in the 900 block of South Browning Street after a 20-minute standoff in which officers had asked a 24-year-old man to drop his gun more than 50 times. The man motioned his gun in a threatening manner, and an officer shot the man in the neck, Amarillo police said. The man had blocked his girlfriend into the driveway of a residence so she couldn't leave. The man survived.
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