US: 29-year-old man shoots at two police officers, a civilian in Dallas

Houston, Apr 25: Two police officers were shot and critically wounded outside a home improvement store in the US state of Texas, police said. The suspect, identified by police as 29-year-old Armando Luis Juarez, is still at large.

Police said he may have fled in a white pickup truck. A civilian was also shot and the incident sparked a manhunt, police said. The incident began yesterday when an off-duty officer at the Home Depot called to request backup officers for an arrest. The two officers who responded to the call were wounded, police chief Reneé Hall said. A civilian who was working as a loss prevention officer at the store was also injured, police said.

The three injured were being treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, police chief Reneé Hall told reporters. She declined to give their names or more details about their condition. The suspect is considered dangerous, Hall said, adding it is unclear, "how he was able to get a gun and shoot all three of the victims".

Earlier yesterday, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings also tweeted on the shooting: "We are closely monitoring the situation in northeast Dallas and praying for our officers and their families."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent "thoughts and prayers" to the officers in a tweet.

"Texas honors all the men and women who protect and serve our communities, and justice will be served," he said.

Five Dallas officers were killed and seven others injured in July 2016 when a military veteran who had served in Afghanistan fired on them. The shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, Texas, was killed after a lengthy standoff with police.

PTI