Police: Azle officer fatally shoots man armed with handgun
An Azle police officer fatally shot a man after he reportedly advanced toward the officer with a handgun on Sunday night.
Police were called to a southeast Azle residence after a report of a man firing a handgun in the 600 block of Alameda Road around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. The Texas Rangers are now leading an investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Police responded after residents who live in the neighborhood reported a man firing a gun. One person said they heard at least three shots.
When police arrived at the scene they encountered the armed man standing in his driveway. A police ordered him to drop the weapon several times, but investigators say he started advancing toward the officer; they say he pointed a weapon at him.
The officer fired and hit the suspect several times in the torso area. The man was taken by air ambulance to John Peter Smith hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The dead man was identified midday Monday as Mark Minnick. The officer who fired his weapon was Angel Perez, who is now on routine administrative leave.
Neighbors said Minnick had a history of mental illness and police gave him plenty of opportunity to put down the weapon.