A Burleson police officer is being admitted to hospital after being shot several times during a traffic stop early Wednesday.
In a Twitter report, the Burleson Police Department said the officer stopped a traffic stop along the 1100 block of Southwest Hillside Drive, near the Burleson High School campus, at 4:15 p.m.
At one point during the stop, one of the three people in the car opened fire and hit the officer several times, Burleson police chief Billy Cordell said.
The group parked their vehicle some distance away from the scene and possibly tried to set it on fire, Cordell said.
The officer was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment. He was “clear and talking” when he was transported to the hospital, Cordell said. Further details about his condition are unknown, police said.
The name of the wounded officer was not disclosed at the time of writing.
Police in Burleson are using footage of the body to try to identify the suspects as quickly as possible, Cordell said.
A Fort Worth police helicopter assisted with the search.
The wounded officer has been serving on the midnight shift for several years, Cordell said, adding that the incident is a shock to the department.
“It’s a surprise. Burleson is a wonderful community of people. It’s definitely not something we would see, but it’s always a possibility.”
“It will be difficult for the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” he added.
The Texas Rangers will take over the investigation.
The shooting is at least the fourth in which a Texas law enforcement officer has been involved in recent weeks.
An Austin police officer was shot and wounded Friday, while a state official was shot and wounded during a hunt for a man accused of opening fire on a cabinet industry. And late last month, a state troop was shot dead during a traffic stop near Mexia, about 120 miles southeast of Dallas.
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