A high-speed pursuit that began in Cleburne turned deadly Monday evening after it ended in a shooting outside a Sam’s Club in Burleson, leaving one police officer wounded and a suspect dead.
Cleburne police responded around 6:50 p.m. to a report of a person brandishing a firearm from inside a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the individual but the driver fled, triggering a chase that would stretch across multiple jurisdictions.
The pursuit moved through Alvarado before heading north along Interstate 35W into Burleson. Law enforcement units from multiple agencies tracked the vehicle as it traveled through Johnson County.
The chase came to a violent end in the parking lot of the Sam’s Club in Burleson. Officers fired on the suspect at that location and the individual was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the confrontation a Cleburne police officer was struck by a gunshot in the leg. The officer was transported for medical treatment and was listed in stable condition as of 9:30 p.m. Monday night.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that two of its deputies were also involved in the incident. It remains unclear at this point whether the suspect fired a weapon at officers or whether the individual was in fact armed at the time of the shooting.
Authorities have not released the identity of the suspect or the name of the injured officer. The circumstances surrounding exactly how the shooting unfolded are still being pieced together by investigators.
The Texas Rangers have taken over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting as is standard protocol in Texas when law enforcement personnel discharge their weapons during an active incident. The Rangers will work to establish a clear timeline and determine what led to the use of deadly force.
Law enforcement officials stated that the public is not in any danger following the incident. However residents and drivers were urged to stay away from the area near the Burleson Sam’s Club to allow investigators to process the scene without interference.
The incident unfolded across a wide geographic area spanning Cleburne and Burleson with portions of the chase passing through Alvarado. The multi-agency response reflects the complexity of pursuits that cross city and county lines in the densely connected communities of Johnson County and southern Tarrant County.
No additional details regarding the initial call about the person with a gun or the events leading up to the shooting have been made available by authorities. Investigators are expected to release more information as the Texas Rangers continue their review of the incident.
