LEVELLAND, Texas — Authorities have captured the suspect in an hourslong police standoff where one officer died and four others were wounded in a small West Texas city.
Levelland Police Chief Albert Garcia says the situation came to a resolution around 11:30 p.m. after authorities used robots and gas to draw the suspect out of the home about 30 miles west of Lubbock.
The standoff began earlier Thursday when someone reported a man as possibly armed along a residential street.
Responding officers were fired upon and Sgt. Josh Bartlett, leader of the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office's SWAT command, was taken to a hospital where he died of his wounds.
A Levelland police officer was in stable but critical condition, while the three others were treated and released.
The police department posted the following message to its Facebook page late Thursday:
"Our community mourns the loss of Sgt. Josh Bartlett, with the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team. He gave his life in the defense of the citizens of Levelland today. We send our heartfelt prayers to his family, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service, Sgt. Bartlett. It is a debt we can never repay."
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