Teen Killed, Officers Injured Following Manhunt

Suspected gunman dead, two officers injured in shooting outside of Dallas.

A teen that fired on four police officers, injuring two of them, died Wednesday in an North Texas hospital from injuries sustained in a shootout with police on Christmas Day.

Police confirmed Wednesday night that a 16-year-old Mansfield teen who led them on a day-long manhunt on Christmas died after being shot by police.

On Thursday, the Dallas County Medial Examiner identified the teen as 16-year-old Peyton Cole Barbour from Mansfield.

The Mansfield Independent School District said Thursday that Barbour was a sophomore at Lake Ridge High School and that plans are underway to provide students and faculty with grief counselors when they return to school after winter break.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the student’s family. We are thankful that according to news reports, the police officers injured have since been released from the hospital. And we are grateful for the work of first responders serving in the Mansfield ISD community," the district said in a news release Thursday.

Grand Prairie police did not reveal the names of the two injured officers, but said both have been treated and released from the hospital. One officer was described by the department as a 16-year veteran of the force, while the other has been said to have been part of the Grand Prairie Police Department for seven years. The officers involved in the fatal shooting are on routine administrative leave.

Family and Friends Remember Troubled Teen

His parents saw the Barbour on Christmas morning, but said there was no indication that anything was wrong.

“This isn’t him, it was so out of character, didn’t see it coming,” said Dawn Barbour.

“I do want to say to the officers that were injured, I'm so sorry, I apologize, you know that he did this,” said Dawn Barbour. “We don't know, we really don't, there are so many questions it hit us like a ton of bricks, out of nowhere.”

On Thursday night, nearly a hundred teens showed up to Lake Ridge High School for a candle light vigil to show the family support. 

“This is still hard to believe, I’m expecting him to walk through the door any time,” said Barbour.

The family wishes to keep his memorial plans private.

Friends of Barbour refused to discuss the teen’s troubled past, instead choosing to focus on the positives.

“He was like my brother. I grew up with him. He means a lot to me,” said friend, Collin Kirby, who attended Lake Ridge High School with Barbour.

Kirby and classmate Corey Taylor are grieving the friend they knew and are trying to remember the good in him.

“Peyton was a good kid. What happen yesterday was a one-day thing,” said Taylor.

Grand Prairie police said Barbour, though he was only 16, had already built a criminal record for himself.  In the investigation, police revealed Thursday that the car Barbour was driving when officers tried to initially pull him over had been reported stolen.

Barbour's friends just wish everything could have been different.

“He was just scared, hit, already been in trouble, didn't want to get back in trouble,” said Kirby.

Video Captures End of Manhunt

Steve Cremer witnessed the end of the intense manhunt, just outside his window.

"That's gunshots, and we were like, 'Let's go, kids, time to go inside!'" said Cremer, recalling seeing it outside his window.

Cremer used his Christmas present from last year, a video camera, to capture the tense moments.

"When I started videotaping it, I was like, 'Kids, you need stay back, because you don't know if there's one or two, or five [gunmen],'" he said.

"You felt a little better being inside knowing the police were outside," added his wife, Jeannetta Cremer.

In the video, police surround Barbour, who is seen walking with a gun in hand. The Cremers said he had already been shot. Minutes later, he falls. Police edge in closer and later carry him out of the field.

NBC 5 has decided not to broadcast the complete video captured by the Cremers due to graphic content. A portion of the video is being used on-air and online.

All-Day Manhunt Begins

The situation began when a Grand Prairie officer pulled Barbour over in the 3100 block of North Camino Lagos at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Grand Prairie police said, after a short vehicular pursuit, the teen got out of the car and ran. While he was running away, he fired at the police officer.

The officer was not hit by the bullets in the early-morning shooting. Police said the officer did return fire. Police said there were several bullet casings along the trail where Barbour and police had this first shooting encounter. The teen went into a nearby secluded wooded area.

Investigators believe the vehicle stopped by the officer was an unreported stolen vehicle that had an Oklahoma license plate.

Grand Prairie police asked Arlington for assistance in blocking off Lake Ridge Parkway over Joe Pool Lake. That road remained closed for some time as officers searched the area.

Police officers, a K-9 unit and a police helicopter searched the area from Grand Peninsula to Lynn Creek Marina for Barbour. At about 1 p.m., the police scaled down their search efforts with these units, but still maintained a heavy police presence in the area.

Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Grand Prairie police said a resident living nearby the search area called regarding suspicious activity. When officers arrived in the 600 block of Seeton Road, the officers and Barbour exchanged gunfire.

According to information provided by the Grand Prairie police, two officers and Barbour were struck by gunfire. The officers reportedly suffered non-life threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital. They were later released after having been treated at the hospital.

According to Grand Prairie police, one of the officers shot Barbour once, severely injuring him. He was taken via air ambulance to a trauma center. The teen was pronounced dead at that trauma center, according to police.

Grand Prarie Police Chief Steve Dye said Barbour also had at least one other gunshot wound that may have occurred during the first shooting incident.

NBC 5 editors Greg Janda and Elvira Sakmari, and reporters Christine Lee, Ray Villeda, and Kendra Lyn contributed during this developing story.

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