San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the officer stopped “the start of an active shooter situation” at San Antonio International Airport on Thursday afternoon when a suspect drove up to the arrivals area of Terminal B and began firing “indiscriminately.”
Officer Joshua Lott was released from JPS Hospital in Fort Worth at 6 p.m. Thursday, about 38 hours after he was shot in the neck, just below the shoulder, and in the chest.
The driver pulled a gun and started firing at the officer, striking him in the hand and his radio. The officer then returned gunfire as he retreated back to his vehicle. The driver and a passenger were killed in the exchange.
Jerry Elders, 39, was arrested in the woods in Gainesville about nine hours after he allegedly shot a Burleson, TX, officer.
Burleson Police Chief Billy Cordell said during a press conference the officer approached the vehicle on the passenger side when one of the three occupants in the vehicle fired shots and struck the officer.
Trooper Juan Rojas Tovar was shot while pursuing the suspect in Grimes County. He was taken by medical helicopter to St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said there were several vehicles eastbound on the road that were stopped for a school bus dropping off students. A garbage truck going eastbound was going over a hill and didn’t stop in time, causing a chain-reaction crash with at least five other vehicles.
Witnesses said the sergeant was westbound on Highway 290 around 9 p.m. when he came upon an earlier crash, changed lanes and lost control of his vehicle.
“Our DPS family is absolutely heartbroken at the loss of one of our brothers in uniform who was killed in the line of duty,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Walker was committed to protecting the people of Texas. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we ask that you keep his family, friends and colleagues in your prayers."
While crossing the river, the 6-month-old baby was thrown out of the raft by the smugglers, Texas DPS said on Facebook.