A Burleson police officer is hospitalized after being shot several times during a traffic stop early Wednesday, prompting a chase for the suspects, according to police.
In a Twitter post, the Burleson police department said the officer made a traffic stop at 4:15 a.m. on the 1100 block of Southwest Hillside Drive, near the Burleson High School campus.
At some point during the stop, one of the three people inside the car opened fire, hitting the officer several times, Burleson police chief Billy Cordell said.
The group abandoned their vehicle a short distance from the scene of the shooting and may have tried to set it on fire, Cordell said.
The agent was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment. He was “lucid and talkative” when he was transported to the hospital, Cordell said. More details about his condition are unknown, police said.
The name of the injured officer has not been disclosed as of this writing.
Burleson police use camera footage to try to identify the suspects as quickly as possible, Cordell said.
A Fort Worth police helicopter was assisting in the search.
The injured officer has been in the midnight shift for several years, Cordell said, adding that the incident is a shock to the department.
“That’s a surprise. Burleson is a great community of people. It’s certainly not what we’d expect to see, but it’s always a possibility.”
“This will be difficult for the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” he added.
Throughout the morning, officers from different departments in the area have been present in the lobby of JPS Hospital to show support.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn was one of them.
“You will see police officers and deputy sheriffs and police officers coming in and out: they will all show up because this is our brother and we know he is our brother in arms. We want to make sure he and his family are okay,” he said. to say. “No doubt, as a community we will overcome it, but it only reminds us of the day-to-day danger our nobles see in law enforcement.”
Texas Rangers will take over the investigation.
The shooting is at least the fourth in which a Texas police officer has been involved in recent weeks.
An Austin police officer was shot dead Friday, while a state soldier was shot during a hunt at the hands of a man accused of opening fire on a cabinet business. And late last month, a state soldier was shot dead during a traffic stop near Mexia, about 75 miles southeast of Dallas.
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