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Sachse officer shot in ambush attack, suspect hospitalized
Sachse police say a man with a shotgun walked up to a parked squad car early Friday morning and fired through the driver's side window.
SACHSE, Texas - Sachse police shot a man who ambushed and wounded two officers while they were sitting in a parked police vehicle.
It happened just after midnight Friday morning, as the officers were wrapping up after responding to an unrelated call. They were parked outside Medpost Urgent Care on Highway 78.
Police said a man walked up to the driver’s side of the police vehicle and fired a shotgun through the window.
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The officer who was sitting in the driver’s seat was shot in the head. The second officer returned fire, hitting the suspect, police said.
Both officers were taken to the hospital because of injuries. Fortunately, neither has life-threatening injuries and both have already been released.
Police have not yet released the names of the police officers or suspect.
The officers are out of the hospital.
"It freaks me out," said Matthew Talmage, who lives nearby.
Shortly after the shooting, Talmage, who was driving home, recorded video from the parking lot.
"You’ve got one person that’s just going to go and ambush when they are sitting in the parking lot. What else is going on in the neighborhood? It scares me. It puts chills on my arm," he added. "Thank goodness the cops survived, I don’t even know how that happened. He came up to the window with a shotgun and just started blasting. Whoa, wow, thank God! He was looking out for them."
While Talmage is still in shock something like this happened in his small community, he's relieved the gunman is off the streets.
"There is one less crazy person off the street. It’s more settling, but still disturbing at the same time," he said.
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Police have not said how serious the suspect’s injuries are. He was taken to the hospital for surgery, but there were no further updates on his condition.
The mayor said he's grateful that the two Sachse police officers are safe and were not seriously injured.
He added that because this is an active investigation, any additional information would come from the Texas Rangers. The motive is still being investigated.
"The job has always been very dangerous. Texas is one of the most dangerous states," said Charley Wilkison, executive director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas or CLEAT.
Wilkison said ambush-style shootings against peace officers are a big concern statewide.
"Suburban communities have been somewhat immune to just absolutely violent attacks, compared to other large urban centers," Wilkison added.
Wilkison isn't surprised Sachse police are deferring all questions to the Texas Rangers as part of the officer-involved shooting investigation.
"A smaller community that that would be the case that the Department of Public Safety has more resources," he said.
Details have not yet been released about the call for service that preceded the shooting, and whether the suspect said or did anything before opening fire.
"It's sometimes just a senseless act of absolute violence and hatred toward the police. That's what this was. And the public needs to know this exists," Wilkison said.