A Dallas Independent School District police officer was shot while trying to help a man in crisis, according to FOX 26. Officials laid out what happened at a news conference as the officer underwent surgery, describing a call that began as an act of assistance and ended in gunfire.
According to the account given by the district's police leadership, someone was walking on an interstate and was having problems. The Dallas ISD officer, who was on duty and had been flagged down, managed to get the person off the freeway and away from the danger of the traffic.
The officer then drove the man to a parking lot for safety. It was there, as the man was getting out of the car, that a shooting occurred and the officer was struck, officials said.
The wounded officer was identified as Justin Jones, 39, who has served with the Dallas ISD Police Department for 16 years. He was taken to the hospital and was in surgery, with officials saying he remained in their prayers.
Police confirmed that the person the officer had been trying to help was the same person who shot him. Officials said they believed the officer was struck once, in the lower part of his body, though they cautioned that details were still being confirmed.
Another Dallas ISD officer was close by after the first officer reported being flagged down on the freeway, and was able to help once the shooting happened, with Dallas Fire Rescue not far behind. Officials thanked the surgeons at the Parkland trauma center, along with Dallas police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Dallas Fire Rescue and DART.
The Special Investigations Unit of the Dallas Police Department is conducting the investigation into the shooting. Officials said questions about exactly what happened, including why a gray sedan was being searched at the scene, would be addressed as that inquiry moved forward.