3 Police Officers Wounded While Responding to a 911 Call, Suspect Hostages Family Members
Three police officers, who responded to a 911 call, in Austin Texas got wounded after the suspect who held three family members as hostages including his mother fired back.
Police officers responded to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance in Austin, Texas. However, the three police officers who tried to settle the violence peacefully were wounded after the suspect fired back and held three members of his family as hostages.
The three people who were held as hostages inside the house include the suspect's mother. Interim Police Chief for the Cedar Park Police Department Mike Harmon confirmed this during a press briefing on Sunday night.
According to the officials, the said incident occurred at around 3:00 pm when a man in his 20's kicked down the door of his mother's home. The officials added that the man was acting very angry. When the police officers responded, they were met by gunshots.
Police officers tried to return gunfire, but it is no known if they hit the suspect. Harmon said that the suspect barricaded himself using his three relatives that include his mother, a juvenile, and a third member in the family whose age remains unknown.
The Interim Police Chief also said that negotiators were in talks with the suspect to come up with a peaceful resolution. Mike Harmon said, "We do have a message for the suspect inside, and please take this to heart. We want to end this peacefully for everybody involved. For the suspect inside, for the hostages that are inside, for the officers that are on the scene, for everybody."
He also added that they asked the suspect to listen, come out, and surrender peacefully so the situation can be resolved. It was found that the police officers had responded in the same residence before and said that the suspect has some mental issues, but did not elaborate beyond it.
According to a published report in ABC News, the three officers who got wounded were rushed to the nearest hospital in a stable condition. Meanwhile, the suspect remained barricaded. Residents of the town were urged to stay inside their homes as the suspect remained inside the house.