A gunman killed two people at a home and wounded three police officers and another resident before killing himself Saturday night in Haltom City, police said.
Police on Sunday identified the injured officers as Cpl. Zach Tabler, who has been with the Haltom city department for seven years. Officer Tim Barton, with six years of service. and Officer Jose Avila, with five years of service.
Police said the two residents killed are Collin Davis, 33, and Amber Chai, 32, who lived in the home where the shooting began, according to property records. An elderly woman, a neighbor who called 911, was also shot but is OK, police said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Police identified the shooter as 28-year-old Edward Freiman.
The injured officers were taken to local hospitals and are expected to survive, police said. A policeman was shot in his right hand, finger and leg. Another was hit in both legs and a third was hit in the upper thigh.
Haltom City Police Department spokesman Sgt. Rick Alexander said Tsai was found dead inside her home and Davis was found dead in the street.
It is not yet known if the shooter was related to any of the victims or what his motive might have been, Alexander said.
The initial call of shots fired came in around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Alexander said. The caller told police the shooting happened in the 5700 block of Diamond Oaks Drive North. Another call at 6:52 p.m. reported continuous gunfire.
A minute after the second call, police had reports of injured officers. Witnesses told the Star-Telegram they saw one of the officers fall to the ground after being shot. Other officers with shields surrounded him and dragged him away, they said.
The officers returned fire, but it is unknown how many shots they or the gunman fired. It is unclear if the suspect was hit by police fire.
Alexander said police believed the shooter, armed with a rifle, may have been trying to run and worked to lock down the area.
“The main concern, obviously, was securing the scene, trying to get to our officers, being able to get them off the road while also detaining the suspect,” Alexander said at a news conference.
The gunman, whose name has not been released, was found in the 3900 block of Golden Oaks Drive — about a half-mile from the original crime scene — with an apparent self-inflicted head injury, police said. He was found with a handgun “close to his hands” and a “military-style rifle” close to him, Alexander said.
The shootings led to a long-hour lockdown of the surrounding area. Residents were warned to stay indoors if they were home and to avoid the area if they weren’t already there, but a crowd still gathered on Denton Highway to watch as the manhunt continued.
A large number of officers, including a SWAT team, are at a crime scene where multiple shots were fired near the area of Cedarcrest Drive and Diamond Oaks Drive in Haltom City, according to a police spokesman. James Hartley [email protected]
At about 8 p.m., an officer told the crowd that an active shooter was still in the area and they should leave for their own safety. At about 9 p.m., police said the gunman was no longer a threat.
Earlier in the evening, police shared a map of the search area, east of Denton Highway, south of Glenview Drive and north of Webster Street.
In a statement on Facebook, Haltom City Police said: “We are asking residents in the area of Glenview and Denton HWY to stay indoors. We’re working an active scene and we have an armed suspect. He is described as a white male, dark haired, wearing a blue shirt, blue pants, a “battle belt” and armed with a rifle. He was last seen in the area of Cedarcrest (Drive). If you see it, do not approach and call 911.”
OFFICIAL INFORMATION – Haltom City PD is asking residents in this area east of Denton Highway, south of Glenview Drive and north of Webster Street to STAY INDOOR. Police are actively searching for the armed suspect wanted in connection with an officer-involved shooting. pic.twitter.com/O8ResWOR6x
— DFW Scanner (@DFWscanner) July 3, 2022
Police also sent warnings to residents via automated voice messages and text messages.
People in the area said there were too many gunshots to count. Police quickly surrounded the neighborhood, they said.
One resident, Ryan Barron, said he heard what sounded like semi-automatic gunfire but that some people didn’t seem to react to it.
“There were a lot of people outside and everyone was casually acting like nothing was happening,” he told the Star-Telegram in a message on social media. “… It was just crazy that no one knew what a gunshot sounded like and how casual everything was.”
People gather on Denton Highway from the area where police were searching for a gunman after a shooting that killed two residents and injured four people, including three police officers, in Haltom City on Saturday, July 2, 2022. James Hartley [email protected] telegram.com
Barron said he was walking along Glenview in an open area where houses are being built behind a gas station. He said he would have “nowhere to run if they went down that road.”
Officers from at least five different agencies responded, including Fort Worth and North Richland Hills police, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the US Marshals Service. Officers in tactical gear and a helicopter assisted in the manhunt.
While the gunman was confirmed dead, police continued to cordon off some roads and nearby parking lots in the area after 10:30 p.m.
Alexander asked the public for their support and prayers for the officers and their families and for their understanding as police continue to search the area.
“We’re going to get through this and be strong like we always do,” Alexander said.
The Texas Rangers will investigate the officer-involved shooting, Haltom City police said.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
This story was originally published on July 2, 2022 at 7:23 pm.
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James Hartley is a breaking news reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He’s a North Texas native who joined the Star-Telegram team during an internship in 2019 and just hasn’t left. He’s passionate about true stories and loves low-budget movies, good tea and Scottish produce that’s out of the budget.
