Dallas police OIS: bulletproof vest saves officer's life, family says mental health crisis spurred incident

Grandmother, grandson injured in Dallas officer-involved shooting

A grandmother says her grandson was in the middle of a mental health crisis when they were both injured in an officer-involved shooting Monday night. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.

DALLAS - A bulletproof vest saved a Dallas police officer's life Monday night during an officer-involved shooting that left two other people wounded, officials said.

Officer-involved shooting in Dallas

What we know:

Officers responded to a call at the Mill House apartments on Woodhollow Drive, near West Ledbetter Drive and South Hampton Road, around 9 p.m.

According to investigators, about 10 people were inside an apartment when a suspect began threatening others with a weapon. Police arrived to find a suspect barricaded in a bathroom with a woman.

"We heard a female tell from inside the bathroom he has a gun, he has a gun," Dallas police chief Daniel Comeaux told reporters.

Bulletproof vest saves Dallas police officer's life

Two people are hospitalized and a police officer is recovering after a shooting inside a packed apartment last night.

When police entered the bathroom, gunfire was immediately exchanged. Two people were struck by gunfire and are currently recovering at a local hospital. 

At least two Dallas officers fired their weapons. One officer was also struck, but the round was stopped by his ballistic vest. He is expected to survive.

What we don't know:

Police have not said who fired first, or how many shots were fired. They also did not state if any attempts at de-escalation were made.

Family involved speaks

What they're saying:

The family involved says an 18-year-old member of the family was having a mental health crisis that spurred the incident, and that the original police report lacks context.

"He was just mad at the world for no reason," 57-year-old Tracey Thornton told FOX 4's David Sentendrey. "Earlier in the day he just kept saying I want to die, I want to die, I don’t care if I live, I don’t care if I live."

Thornton says she was shot three times when she tried to reach Robinson. Her grandson is still in the hospital recovering.

"I blocked him in the bathroom until the police came, and I told him he couldn’t move until the police came and got that gun because we don’t do guns in the house," Tracey continued. "When my grandson fell on the floor, I stepped over him to walk to my room and shots rang out again, and I got hit again in the crossfire,"

Dig deeper:

"My nephew has been suffering from a lot of mental issues for the past month," Tytana Thornton, Robinson's aunt, told Sentendrey. 

She said Robinson was suicidal and arguing with his father, who then called police when they realized he had a gun.

"When the first officers arrived, I pleaded to them, ‘Hey, please don’t go in shooting, don’t go in with your guns blazing because my mom is in there, she’s not in there. She’s there trying to defuse the situation," Tytana continued. 

What's next:

Dallas police are expected to release body-camera footage of the incident during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.