A Cleburne police officer was shot in the leg and a suspect is dead after a chase ended with a shooting in Burleson, officials said.
Cleburne police said that just before 7 p.m., officers responded to a report of someone brandishing a firearm. That person was in a vehicle and a pursuit began after officers arrived.
The pursuit continued through Alvarado, north on I-35W, before ending near the Sam’s Club in Burleson.
City of Burleson officials said the call for a “critical incident” near the Sam’s Club on the I-35W service road, near 174, or 600 N. Burleson Blvd. came in just after 7 p.m.
Witnesses recall Burleson shooting
Michael Anthony Garcia was in the parking lot and said he saw the Cleburne officer ram a blue truck and the suspect run into Sam’s, trailed by police officers.
Dylan Trim, who marked his first day of college on Monday, was working his job at Sam’s Club when the shooting happened.
“I saw cop cars pulling up, sirens, and I go looking around because I’m at the front door, so I’ve got a pretty good view of the parking lot,” said Trim. “I hear popping … next thing you know, I see some of our coworkers running, like, scared out of their life and start falling. I was standing there frozen. The next thing you know, a guy walks in and all of a sudden he has a rifle, what appears to be a shotgun in his right hand and, he just, he fires a shot at the police officers that were at the door shooting at him.”
Trim said he then ran to a fire exit.
“I heard one gunshot and return fire from the officers,” said Garcia. “I saw the suspect go down … It’s scary, very scary.”
“Everyone was screaming,” Trim said. “Everyone just dropped their stuff and ran. And then there were about seven more shots.”
Trim said multiple shots were fired at the same time.
“The moment I saw the shots fired, I run,” said Trim. “I’m like, ‘Can I make it out of here? … I want to make it out of here alive.'”
Garcia said he tried to help the injured officer and took off his belt to use it as a tourniquet, but two other officers stepped in who had a tourniquet with them
Walmart released the following statement to CBS News Texas:
“The safety of our associates and members is a top priority. We will work closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation.”
The incident involved multiple agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Burleson police were not involved in the shooting.
“On behalf of the city, my wife, and I, our thoughts and prayers are with the officer, who is stable,” said Cleburne Mayor Derek Weathers. “We appreciate the other responding police departments who are assisting.”
The investigation into the shooting will be handled by the Texas Rangers.
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