17-year-old suspect in undercover officer's shooting is a 'documented gang member,' Dallas police say
DALLAS - The Dallas Police Department released new details and video of an investigation after an officer was shot during a chase last week.
The shooting happened early last Thursday morning as undercover officers were following a stolen blue Camaro they said was doing donuts and driving erratically.
Dallas police said the people in the Camaro noticed they were being followed and made a U-turn to pull parallel to the police vehicle.
"The driver of the blue Camaro fired five rounds at the officer's car, hitting it twice. One of the rounds went in the driver's door and hit the officer in his hip," said Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia at a news conference on Monday.
The Camaro was later spotted on East Kiest Boulevard and officers attempted to stop it, but it took off.
Police helicopters and the Dallas County Sheriff's Office took part in the chase for about 10 minutes, which ended at an apartment complex off Chesterfield.
Three of the six people in the Camaro ran from the scene.
A freeze-frame of police dash camera video shows what Chief Garcia says is a gun in one suspect's hands.
Two teenagers were captured and are facing charges.
The driver, who police identified as 17-year-old Jaheart Nickelberry, faces several charges, including aggravated assault, and a 15-year-old girl is charged with evading arrest.
Dallas police say Nickelberry is a known gang member and could face multiple charges.
Police say they are still attempting to identify and find a third teenage suspect.
The three people who remained in the Camaro were not charged.
Three weapons were recovered, including one weapon thrown out of the window during the pursuit on I-20 which was stolen from Shreveport, Louisiana.
Officer Tyler Morris, a four year veteran of the department, is recovering after multiple surgeries.
He has a broken hip, and he currently doesn’t have much feeling in his left leg, but his prognosis is good, he shared on social media.
Dallas police officer shot during chase gives update on his condition
The Dallas police officer who was shot overnight Wednesday said he is on the road to recovery.
Morris remains in the hospital in stable condition.
"I know, for a fact, that my officers prevented further violent crimes to have been committed that night," said Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia. "We are lucky we didn't lose an officer in the process."
Dallas police believe the Camaro was involved in an aggravated robbery hours before Officer Morris was shot.
Two males, identified by police as Nickelberry and the unknown third suspect, approached a vehicle on Cripple Creek where the driver was expecting to sell the suspects vape pens.
As the driver drove away, the two men started shooting at the vehicle.
The victim crashed his car and the suspects stole property from the car.
The stolen property and other evidence found inside the Camaro connected the suspects to the robbery.
Texas Rangers investigating deadly police shooting in Glenn Heights
Texas Rangers are heading up the investigation into the Glenn Heights officer’s actions. But it wasn’t until Thursday that the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the robbery, revealed a suspect was not only shot — but died.
Detectives also said Nickelberry was a suspect in an aggravated robbery in Ellis County that involved a home invasion. Police said that incident led to an officer-involved shooting in Glenn Heights.
One of the suspects was killed in that case, and the driver was identified by police as Nickelberry.
Nickelberry has been charged with aggravated robbery in both the Dallas and Glenn Heights cases.