A Little Elm police detective was shot and killed during a standoff Tuesday, and the suspect who shot him was later pronounced dead.
Fire Chief Brian Roach named Detective Jerry Walker as the officer shot during a press conference Tuesday evening, and it was then confirmed later in the evening that he did not survive his injuries.
He is the first Little Elm police officer to die in the line of duty.
Little Elm Chief of Police Rodney Harrison says Walker was 48 years old and joined the department in September of 1998. Walker was a father of four.
Officers responded to a report of an individual with a long gun outside a home in the 1400 block of Turtle Cove just after 3 p.m. Tuesday. After police told the suspect to drop the gun, he ran inside the home and began shooting at officers.
A man claiming to have witnessed the encounter said he heard one initial gunshot, and then a flurry of three or four gunshots between the suspect and an officer hiding behind a truck in a driveway.
Det. Walker was shot in the upper torso and flown via CareFlite to Denton Regional Hospital. There, he was surrounded by family, friends and fellow officers.
Meanwhile police officers and SWAT team members were trying to make contact with the suspect, who was barricaded inside the home. At some point, a SWAT truck rammed into the home's garage. It's not clear what happened next, but the Little Elm fire chief told the public just before 10:30 p.m. that the suspect was dead.
He has not been identified.
During the standoff, authorities were able to safely remove an elderly female relative of the suspect through a window.
Nearby residents of the neighborhood, Lakes of Little Elm, were evacuated and taken to the Little Elm Senior Citizen Center. Authorities from The Colony, Denton County and Frisco Police assisted with the SWAT situation.
Nearby Little Elm Independent School District campuses were affected. Some students were held at school, while others were allowed to ride the bus home. Police say no children were ever in danger.
On Wednesday, buses will not be allowed inside Lakes of Little Elm Wednesday morning.
Brent students residing in Lakes of Little Elm who ride bus #22, Prestwick students residing in Lakes of Little Elm who ride bus #42, LEHS students residing in Lakes of Little Elm who ride bus #22, and those residing in Lakes of Little Elm who ride buses #15 and #30 will be picked up outside Zellars Center for Learning and Leadership at 300 Lobo Lane at normal pickup times.
Processional and Color Guard escort here at Denton County Regional Hospital following death of Little Elm Offc Jerry Walker @wfaachannel8 pic.twitter.com/eKSVQVvETX
— Jobin Panicker (@jobinpnews) January 18, 2017
Flowers left outside Little Elm PD building for Jerry Walker, first officer here killed in line of duty. @wfaachannel8 pic.twitter.com/vms60iXMdZ
— Bradley Blackburn (@BLBlackburn) January 18, 2017