HALTOM CITY, Texas — Haltom City police have released surveillance video of an "ambush" shooting that left three officers injured on Saturday night. Prior to officers arriving, the suspect had killed two people at a home, police said.
During an update on Sunday, police released more details on the shooting incident, including the identities of those involved, that led to a heavy police presence at a neighborhood for hours.
Police said they responded to a home at around 6:45 p.m. Saturday in the 5700 block of Diamond Oaks Drive. A man and woman were found fatally shot at the home, police said.
According to police, an elderly neighbor had called 911 but was also shot by the suspect. The neighbor was hospitalized and is expected to be okay.
In a news conference on Sunday, police showed video of officers responding to the scene. The video shows three officers walking down the street before shots were fired.
Police said the suspect shot at the officers, which led to an exchange of gunfire. The video shows one of the three officers staying down on the street while the other two ran for cover.
One other officer appeared to be injured as he took cover behind a nearby car. More officers could be seen entering the area with their weapons drawn.
"This was an ambush situation," Haltom City Police Chief Cody Phillips said.
Three officers were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. They were identified as Cpl. Zach Tabler and officers Tim Barton and Jose Avila.
One of the officers was shot in the arm, finger and leg, another in both legs, and the third was hit in the thigh.
As of Tuesday, two officers were still in the hospital recovering from their injuries and another was recovering from home. A civilian who was shot during the incident is still hospitalized, as of Tuesday, officials said.
Police said the suspect, later identified as Edward Freyman, 28, fled the area, which led to authorities asking residents in the area of Glenview Drive and Denton Highway to stay indoors.
Freyman was eventually found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound about a mile from the initial scene in the 3900 block of Golden Oaks Drive. He was found with a "military-style rifle" and a handgun, according to police.
The victims who were found dead at the home of the initial call were identified as Amber Tsai, 32, and Collin Davis, 33. The relationship between the suspect and victims are unknown, but police said they knew each other.
Chief Phillips said that numerous homes and vehicles were struck by bullets during the incident. There were no other injuries reported from nearby residents.
Phillips estimated hundreds of rounds were fired in total during the incident.
Angel Trevino and his family had started watching a movie when the shooting began.
"We both saw the muzzle fire just coming out," he said. “Evil is evil and good is good right? What happened last night was evil.”
Trevino's wife said she was shaking as the family took cover.
“Still shaking though; still concerned about it," Cristina Trevino said. “That moment, it was scary. It was scary.”
The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.
Krystyn Rodriguez says she had never met Freyman, her neighbor, until the day of the shooting when he cam by to tell her the family's back gate was open.
She walked outside where she her a first round of pops and saw a man face down in the driveway. She assumed he'd been hurt by a firework.
"I heard a neighbor across the street just screaming, 'Get down, go inside' and it hit," Rodriguez said. "We're all still processing. We haven't really come to terms that this has really occurred."
She and her family took shelter in their laundry room.
“That’s the scary part is that I was so upfront and right next to it and I think that the only thing that saved me is that maybe he was in another part of the house or I think I would’ve been part of it," she said. “We’re all just still shaken and it’s all just a lot to take in.”