NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — One person is dead following a shooting involving Richland Hills police officers, officials say.
The shooting occurred near 26 Boulevard and Vance, according to police, just near the border of North Richland Hills and Richland Hills.
According to a spokesperson with Richland Hills police, just after 3:10 p.m. Friday, officers were called to the 7000 block of Hardisty Street in response to a shooting.
When officers arrived on scene, the suspect was not located. During a search, a man "armed with a rifle" was located at 26 Blvd. According to the police spokesperson, officers engaged with the suspect and "returned fire."
At this time, police have not released the name of the suspect and the details of what led up to the shooting are under investigation. The Richland Hills Police Department said no one else was injured and the Texas Rangers are handling the investigation, per protocol.
Crews currently have nearby roads blocked off, as law enforcement continues to investigate the incident.
Neighbors tell WFAA they heard 'one or two' gunshots in the neighborhood and heard a lot of screaming. Sina Riebartsch and Gavin Hill had just returned to their home on Hardisty Street when they saw all the commotion. They shared Ring video from their family home and courtesy of Stacy Reddy. One shot can be heard from the video and it appears to show the suspect chasing after another man who fled in a nearby vehicle. The suspect can be seen running down the street shirtless with what appears to be a long gun in his hands. Hill says he was inside his car at the time and ducked so he wouldn't be seen by the suspect.
"As he was beginning to move in that opposite direction, I started driving away as fast as I can," said Hill. "Me and Gavin would have just been in the middle of it. We could have got shot. It's just scary you know," added Riebartsch.
In a late evening press conference Richland Hills Police spokeswoman Sheena McEachran did confirm the suspect was carrying a semi-automatic rifle. No one in the neighborhood was injured and police cannot yet divulge what transpired in the neighborhood or why.
Officers spotted the suspect on Boulevard 26 about a block away from Hardisty Street. That's where the suspect was shot and killed in the middle of the road. Police tell us two Richland Police officers engaged him and fired the shots. No officers were hurt in the shooting.
"I can confirm he was hit by Richland Hills officers when he raised and aimed a semi-automatic rifle at them," said Police spokeswoman Sheena McEachran.
It is unclear at this time if the suspect had fired shots at the officers. Just before 9:00pm, Boulevard 26 was back open to traffic.
This is a developing story. We'll update as more information becomes available.