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Neighbors describe chaos as three Flower Mound officers were shot

It was a sleepless night for neighbors as they heard gun shots and chaos over a 10-hour standoff. One man is in custody.

FLOWER MOUND, Texas — Termaine Drive in Flower Mound was blocked off for more than 10 hours on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, after neighbors heard flash bangs, gun shots, and other noises that aren't normal on this street.

At 7:04 p.m. Wednesday, police got a call of a possible suicidal person, and came to do a welfare check on 60-year-old Bryan Hucabee.

Valentina Taber said she got home around 7:30 p.m., and by that time, there was already an overwhelming police presence. 

"They already had all the cop cars right there," Taber described, referencing the street. She said not long after, around 8:00 p.m., she heard shots fired. 

"It sounded like it was right next to us," she recounted. "We were inside my living room when we heard the gun shots, and we just got down immediately."

Laura Jordan, whose backyard is connected to Hucabee's, said she got home in time to hear the the first round of gun shots. Police then told her they needed access to her backyard, "because there was obviously a serious situation going on."

“All the police were telling everyone, outside the house, 'go back in. It’s not safe to be out here.' All of a sudden, we heard like 10 gunshots go off,” Kenna Whitteneerg, another neighbor described.

As the night stretched on, police said Hucabee shot at three Flower Mound police officers from inside the home. The officers returned fire, then backed away to get medical treatment. All three are recovering well, with two being saved thanks to their ballistic vests.

Neighbors said they continued to hear crisis negotiations teams talk to Hucabee throughout the night. 

"They kept saying, 'Bryan! Bryan! Bryan!' They just kept repeating to 'please come to the front door. It's okay. We're here to help,'" Taber recounted, adding that it was a restless night. 

Around 2:30 a.m., she said she heard more shots; Jordan heard the same. Police said that's when Hucabee shot at the police robot on scene sent in to try and find him.

"They were shooting tear gas in the windows, more drones, more police activity in our backyard, and then we were asked to evacuate around 4:30 this morning," Jordan recalled.

After several hours, the agents from the FBI relieved the local police officers, breached and fired multiple tear gas cans into Hucabee's house. Around 5:30 a.m., he came out of the house and surrendered, ending the hours-long standoff. Hucabee now faces three counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but additional charges are pending.

"I don't think anything like this has happened in this neighborhood," Taber said. “When he put that gun out, any one of these people could’ve been shot."

Jordan agreed.

"You don't expect to see US Marshals or police of SWAT activity in your own backyard," she said. "It's a little intimidating. It's a little nerve-wracking."

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