One person was killed and three others were injured, including a police officer, during an early-morning shooting in Justin, police say.
It happened just before 9 a.m. in the 500 block of West Fourth Street when Officer Kevin James arrived to a call of a possible suicidal person.
Chief Jody Gonzalez, emergency management coordinator for Denton County, said the first call about a suicidal person came in at 8:43 a.m. At 8:50 a.m., with James already on the way, a second call came in indicating two people had been shot.
Witnesses said 29-year-old Bodie Stewart opened fire as the officer arrived, striking him in the arm.
"All I heard was, 'Pow, pow, pow,'" said neighbor Francis Hendrix. "The police officer had his gun pointing at the door and he's screaming, 'Drop the gun, drop the gun.'"
James was able to return fire and call for help.
Three air ambulances were dispatched to Denton County, one of which transported James to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth where he is listed in good condition.
Stewart died on the way to the hospital.
The conditions of the other two men, identified by family members as Bodie Stewart's father, Bobby Stewart, and grandfather, Bud Stewart, are not yet known.
The two were shot after Bodie became upset that they wanted to take him to the hospital.
Bodie Stewart's aunt, Teresa Reece, said her nephew had a history of mental illness.
"He thinks he's being attacked and bad things are going on that are not reality," she said. "I do not believe he was aware of what he was doing."
James came to the Justin Police Department four years ago. He is in his mid-40s, married and has four children. He has been in law enforcement for more than 20 years.
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Justin Police Chief Bill Brooks said he rushed to the scene after the shooting.
"For a small-town department with six officers, it was chaos," he said.
At the hospital, Brooks said James was in good spirits and even joking.
"He told me, he goes, 'I'm sorry, but I didn't write any tickets today,' and I pretty much told him, 'It's OK,'" Brooks said.
NBC 5's Sara Story, Julie Tam and Scott Gordon contributed to this report.
