DALLAS — The man killed by Dallas police officers in an early Sunday morning shootout has been identified as a career criminal with multiple warrants out for his arrest. The suspect had a kidnapping victim handcuffed in the backseat of the stolen SUV that police were trying to stop.
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) said the Cadillac SUV, first reported stolen out of Garland, was located Sept. 22, but there was no pursuit and the driver evaded capture. Covert officers found the vehicle again at 12:40 a.m. Sept. 24, in the 1800 block of Barnes Bridge Road. They called for uniformed officers to make a traffic stop.
In dash camera and body camera footage released by DPD on Tuesday, Sept. 26, the suspect, on foot walking toward the SUV, is seen reaching into a shoulder holster and pulling a handgun as officers order him to stop. After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect jumps into the SUV and speeds away.
The officers return to their patrol car and give chase, east on Barnes Bridge Road, not noticing that the SUV had already crashed in a grassy area next to a church parking lot, on the right side of the road.
The dashcam video reveals the SUV is on its passenger side with its headlights still on, as the officers pass it 15 seconds into the chase. The officers continue east on Barnes Bridge until another unit, 20 seconds later, radios them to turn around.
As the first officers approach, the suspect has crawled out of the vehicle and an exchange of gunfire happens again between the suspect and those first two responding officers.
Seconds later, two more officers approach from the opposite direction, ordering the man to drop his weapon. Gunfire is exchanged again and the suspect, identified as Michael Shirley, 55, is killed.
"This is never the outcome we want. But yet again, I stand in front of you talking about the dangers my men and women face as they serve to protect this city," said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
DPD said Shirley is a career criminal who spent eight years in prison for indecency with a child and was required to register as a lifetime sex offender. He had additional convictions for burglary, evading arrest and theft or property.
At the time of his death, there were two active warrants out for Shirley's arrest, including failure to comply with sex offender registration.
And, to make sure the threat had been neutralized, DPD used a drone to fly over the shooting scene. The drone's infrared camera revealed there was a woman in the backseat of the wrecked SUV. She had been handcuffed by the suspect in the backseat to the seatbelt and was pleading for help. Police say she admitted getting into the stolen vehicle willingly but then became a captive of the suspect. Police say she was unharmed and is not considered a suspect in the case.
"It is getting much, much more violent for my officers and the officers across this country," Garcia said. "But our officers are undeterred. "Ultimately, in the end they saved someone's life eventually or definitely more victims from this predator."
Although police vehicles were hit by bullets, none of the officers were injured.
DPD said this is the 10th officer-involved shooting for the department in 2023.