ARLINGTON, Texas — Westbound Interstate 20 in Arlington was shut down due to a police investigation after an officer fatally shot a driver during a traffic stop on Thursday afternoon.
During a press conference Thursday evening, Arlington Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Courtney White said one of the department's officers conducted the traffic stop at about 1:30 p.m. on Westbound I-20 near Green Oaks Boulevard after the driver had reportedly been driving erratically across multiple lanes of traffic.
Based on the conversation between the driver and the officer and other factors, White said the officer requested the driver turn off the vehicle and exit it, but the driver didn't comply.
The officer continued giving those instructions to the driver when he reportedly saw the driver holding a gun, White said. After giving the driver multiple commands to drop the weapon, which he reportedly refused, the officer shot the driver multiple times.
White said the driver was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. On Friday, the medical examiner identified the driver as 49-year-old Sean McKay of Fort Worth.
APD's internal affairs office and homicide team will be conducting concurrent investigations into the shooting, White said. The officer was placed on leave, which is routine when an officer fires his weapon.
At 2:30 p.m., police were still diverting all Westbound traffic off the highway at Park Springs in southwest Arlington.
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