Dallas PD officer shot overnight.......

[RKirby]

........details sketchy at this time, but it seems "good samaritans" may have come to his aid.

Quote from WFAA web site....

A Dallas police officer is in serious, but stable condition after being shot overnight. Meanwhile, three other people are dead, including some apparent good samaritans. Police say Sen. Cpl. Jerry Poston was responding to a report of a major accident around 2:30 a.m. on southbound Stemmons Freeway near Commerce and attempting to help a victim when he was shot. Three others are also dead, including some apparent good citizens who stopped to help at what they though was an accident. Police say one carload of good samaritans managed to return fire after one of them was shot. It is not clear if the suspect is among any of the dead or is a second hospitalized gunshot victim. Several people at the scene were taken into custody, but no one has been arrested.

FW Star Telegram web site also has a small article.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/199515.html

3 dead, officer shot on I-35E
Star-Telegram report

A man was shot and killed after shooting a Dallas police officer early Sunday, according to an NBC5 report.

Two other people were killed in the incident near downtown Dallas, according to the report.

According to a Dallas police spokesman, at 2:15 a.m. two officers reponded to what they thought was a shooting, an accident, or both on southbound I-35E in front of Reunion Arena.

They found two people sprawled on the freeway in front of a car, and each officer went to help one of the wounded, said Lt. Vernon Hale. One of the officers was then shot by a man sitting in the driver's seat of the car, he said.

The shooter was himself shot and killed by another person, Hale said. Neither officer fired a shot, he said.

The officer, a 17-year veteran, is in serious condition at Methodist hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, NBC5 reported.

The I-35E service road is shut down between Oak Lawn Ave. and Colorado Blvd. while officers investigate the incident.

[hoss4570]

Wow, can;t wait to get the rest of this story.

[Commander]

From the Dallas Morning News:

DALLAS — Three people were killed and a Dallas police officer was in serious, but stable condition after a shootout on Stemmons Freeway early Sunday.

Investigators said it all started around 2:30 a.m. when officers responded to the scene of what they believed was a major car accident in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35E near the Commerce Street exit.

Senior Cpl. Jerry Poston and his partner arrived and saw two people they believed were accident victims. But as the officers approached them, Poston was shot. The 17-year veteran of the force was in serious but stable condition at Methodist Medical Center and was expected to recover from his wounds.

"We don't know what started this," said police spokesman Lt. Vernon Hale. "It appears that every citizen who responded to this thought they saw a major accident, attempted to go assist, and was shot."

Police said one carload of Good Samaritans managed to return fire after one of them was hit.

"It appears we may have three innocent people shot, but we don't know if they were related in any other way," Lt. Hale said. "At this point, the scene is so complex that we truly don't know whether we have one shooter or multiple shooters—or why they were shot or by who."

It was later determined that the shooting suspect was among the dead. "Quite frankly, the majority of our witnesses are shot and injured or deceased at this point," Lt. Hale added.

Several people at the scene were taken into custody, but no one had been arrested as of Sunday morning.

The freeway was shut down during the investigation.

[phddan]

What a nightmare.
Hope that officer pulls through all right.
I, too, want to hear the rest of this story.

Dan

[RKirby]

Update:


http://www.nbc5i.com/news/13874238/deta ... =mainclick

DALLAS -- Three people were killed and a Dallas police officer wounded in a bizarre shootout on Interstate 35 early Sunday morning.

Police were called to a "major accident" on the interstate about 2:15 a.m. When they arrived, they found two people suffering bullet wounds, laying on the freeway several yards apart, police said.

As two officers were trying to help the victims, someone fired on them, striking Cpl. Jerry Poston, a 17-year veteran of the force, police said.

As Poston's partner frantically called for help, several passersby stopped to assist. They, too, were fired on. One of those passersby returned to his car, grabbed a handgun and shot down the suspected gunman, police said.

Poston was listed in serious but stable condition at Methodist Central Hospital in Dallas, police said.

Detectives remained on the scene late Sunday morning, still trying to sort out exactly what happened and identify the people killed. All were men, they said.

Police also said they recovered a shotgun at the scene.

Southbound I-35 remained shut down between Oak Lawn Avenue and Colorado Boulevard at 8:15 a.m. Sunday.

One has to wonder if the "good samaritan" who may have saved this officer's life (and possibly others) was a CHL holder...

[Wildscar]

Another story.

3 Killed, DPD Officer Shot On I-35

http://cbs11tv.com/local/local_story_224100114.html

(CBS 11 News) Three people were shot and killed and a Dallas police officer wounded when police responded to an accident call early Sunday morning.

According to reports, Senior Cpl. Jerry Poston and his partner saw two people who appeared to have been accident victims laying on the freeway. One officer walked to the people on the ground while the Poston walked to the vehicle. He was then shot.

The officer is listed in serious condition at Parkland, but expected to recover.

Authorities said it appears neither officer fired his gun.

About 8 a.m., police said that before the officer-involved shooting, there was another shooting at the same place. They said a group of four people approached the accident scene to offer help to the victims on the freeway. That's when the gunman in the car started to shoot at the group, according to reports. One of those people was shot and killed.

Another person then went to his car, got his own gun and shot back.

The gunman in the car died, but police don't know if he was injured in the shootout or if he shot himself to death.

Police said the three dead include one of the men who shot Poston and two from the group who stopped on the road. Another person also was shot and taken to Parkland.

Police shut down part of the southbound Stemmons from about High Line to the Mix Master while they continued their investigation.

Detectives recovered a shotgun from the scene. A police spokesperson said it is unknown if there is one or multiple shooters nor do they have a motive.

There was no photograph of Poston available Sunday morning.

[CHL/LEO]

Authorities said it appears neither officer fired his gun.

I work with this officer and if I hadn't taken last night off I would have probably been up there too working this call.

First of all, before you jump to any conclusions wait until all the facts are made public. You will find the details of this very shocking but at the same time perhaps it will help the public better understand what we deal with every day in Dallas. Trust me when I tell you this was not a simple wreck or accident as it's being reported.

I will let you know that the officer didn't fire his weapon because he was assisting a seriously injured victim when he was ambushed and shot point blank twice with a shotgun - once in the face (he lost one eye) and once in the leg (they have not determined yet whether they can save his leg) so he was not able to return fire.

Again, when the facts of this come out you will better understand the details of what all happened.

[Wildscar]

Authorities said it appears neither officer fired his gun.

I work with this officer and if I hadn't taken last night off I would have probably been up there too working this call.

First of all, before you jump to any conclusions wait until all the facts are made public. You will find the details of this very shocking but at the same time perhaps it will help the public better understand what we deal with every day in Dallas. Trust me when I tell you this was not a simple wreck or accident as it's being reported.

I will let you know that the officer didn't fire his weapon because he was assisting a seriously injured victim when he was ambushed and shot point blank twice with a shotgun - once in the face (he lost one eye) and once in the leg (they have not determined yet whether they can save his leg) so he was not able to return fire.

Again, when the facts of this come out you will better understand the details of what all happened.

I meant no malice by highlighting that. I am sorry If I offended you by that. I feel for all the partied involved in that shooting. (Except the BG)

It sucks in this day and age where trying to help some one can turn into a fight for your life. I always try and stop and help when I can but I know that after this I'll not do it blindly anymore.

[RKirby]

Authorities said it appears neither officer fired his gun.

I work with this officer and if I hadn't taken last night off I would have probably been up there too working this call.

First of all, before you jump to any conclusions wait until all the facts are made public. You will find the details of this very shocking but at the same time perhaps it will help the public better understand what we deal with every day in Dallas. Trust me when I tell you this was not a simple wreck or accident as it's being reported.

I will let you know that the officer didn't fire his weapon because he was assisting a seriously injured victim when he was ambushed and shot point blank twice with a shotgun - once in the face (he lost one eye) and once in the leg (they have not determined yet whether they can save his leg) so he was not able to return fire.

Again, when the facts of this come out you will better understand the details of what all happened.

CHL/LEO,

I agree with you 100% with not jumping to conclusions. Unfortunately, I know all to well the one sided and often incomplete reporting by the local media.

My thoughts are with the injured officer and his family and with the families of the other innocent victims who lost loved ones today.

Thank you for taking the time out of your morning to respond to this post during what must be a very distressing time for you and your fellow officers.

Take care and watch your six.

RKirby

[CHL/LEO]

I am sorry If I offended you by that.

No offense was taken - thanks for your post.

Regarding stopping and helping on freeway accidents - we've had too many civilians injured and killed over the years who stopped to help out on wrecks. Most of this always happens after 2 AM when the bars let out and the drunks are all over the roads. I'd never tell anyone not to stop at an accident - just be very careful if you do, especially if it's late at night or early morning.

[Sangiovese]

As is often the case with early information, the CBS and NBC shooting timelines contradict each other.

The NBC report says that the good samaritan shot the bad guy after the officer was shot and while his partner was calling for help. CBS says that the good samaritan/bad guy shootout was prior to the officer involved shooting.

I'm trying to figure out how the CBS report could be accurate. If the civilian shot the BG before the officer was shot... then there must have been two BGs - and the second one shot the officer?

Sounds like a very chaotic scene. I'm very interested in how it actually happened. I'm sure that those details will eventually surface.

For now, I'm just hoping that the officer pulls through and survives his injuries.

[Liberty]

As is often the case with early information, the CBS and NBC shooting timelines contradict each other.

The NBC report says that the good samaritan shot the bad guy after the officer was shot and while his partner was calling for help. CBS says that the good samaritan/bad guy shootout was prior to the officer involved shooting.

I'm trying to figure out how the CBS report could be accurate. If the civilian shot the BG before the officer was shot... then there must have been two BGs - and the second one shot the officer?

Sounds like a very chaotic scene. I'm very interested in how it actually happened. I'm sure that those details will eventually surface.

For now, I'm just hoping that the officer pulls through and survives his injuries.

Right now, I'm thinking gangs, and/or road rage. These storys strike close to home with me. I've stopped and rendered aid at 4:00am just a couple weeks ago. I was also involved in an accident where the guy was screaming and yelling and carrying on while beating his car with his fist.

[RKirby]

From Fox4 News:

Police: Gunman Kills 2 People, Wounds 2 Including Police Officer
Last Edited: Sunday, 12 Aug 2007, 3:20 PM CDT
Created: Sunday, 12 Aug 2007, 8:38 AM CDT
.
DALLAS --
Dallas police have identified the gunman who killed two people and wounded a police officer in a bizarre shooting on Interstate 35 in downtown Dallas early Sunday morning.

Nick Salinas, 20, of Cedar Hill allegedly shot and killed two men and wounded two others including Sr. Cpl. Jerry Poston, a Dallas police officer.

Poston and his partner were responding to a report of a major accident around 2:30 Sunday morning on southbound I-35 near the I-30 exit, according to Lt. Vernon Hale, Dallas Police Department.

Police said when Poston and the other officer arrived on the scene, they observed two victims lying on the freeway several yards apart.

Police said one officer approached the first victim and attempted to assist, while Poston walked toward the suspect vehicle to assist a second victim.

Salinas fired at Poston wounding him. The 17-year police veteran is in serious but stable condition.

At the same time that police arrived, four citizens pulled up in a vehicle stating that they were there to help. One of those citizens was shot and killed.

Police said Salinas shot himself with the same shotgun used in the other shootings. He died at the scene.

The victims have been identified as Jesus Reyes Terrazas, Jr., 24, of Dallas and Robert Langston, 22, of Duncanville.

Barry Smith, 30, of Fort Worth was also wounded. His condition is not known at this time.

Detectives are still investigating and have not yet determined a motive for the shootings.

[Photoman]

This murder-suicide MO is getting to be way too familiar....

Prayer for the police officers, the families of the police officers and the families of those that were lost will be offered up this evening.

[stevie_d_64]

Just a bad situation all around...

Interesting though from our standpoint that the information regarding the "good samaritan" who stopped the gunman has been morphed out of the updates to the incident already...

It would be interesting to find out if it is true, or not, that they were licensed to carry in this state...

More important though...The results of this incident will undoubtably change most of our outlook on pulling over and assisting someone (anyone) who appears to be broken down on the side of the road...But its a situation we should be cautious of in any regard...

We'll have to keep our eyes peeled on this one...