What to Know
- Officer shot as police prepared to serve a narcotics search warrant.
- Officer in stable condition after being shot multiple times in the lower extremities; second officer treated/released for minor injury.
- The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Vincent Jewan Hall, died at the scene.
Arlington police say a well-known, violent offender opened fire on police serving a no-knock warrant Tuesday afternoon, shooting one officer multiple times and injuring another before being fatally shot by police.
Lt. Christopher Cook with the Arlington Police Department said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon that SWAT officers were called to serve a search warrant at a duplex on the 4300 block of Kelly Hill Drive.[[454347783,R]]
Cook said detectives began watching the home after receiving a tip that narcotics were being sold at the residence. Police also believed the occupant of the home was Vincent Jewan Hall, a 22-year-old man with a violent history well-known to the Arlington police.
An undercover officer watching the home reported smelling marijuana when he knocked on the door, but the door was never answered. With the belief that drugs were being sold at the house, and considering the suspect's criminal history, police obtained a no-knock warrant and called in SWAT to execute that search.
Cook said two teams arrived at the residence Tuesday afternoon, one team out front and a second in an allyway behind the residence. The back team said they noticed someone looking at them through the window and radioed to the front team that their presence was known.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
At that time the front team breached the front door and an Arlington officer spotted a man, later identified as Hall, walking toward them firing an AR-15 rifle.
The officer was struck multiple times but was able to return fire, fatally shooting Hall, before being pulled to safety by other members of the SWAT team.
As the gunfire erupted in the front, four people tried to escape through the back. They were all taken into custody; during interviews with detectives they confirmed shortly before the shooting began someone inside the home yelled there were police outside.
After the exchange of gunfire, officers retreated and attempted to communicate with the person inside. Communication was never established and police later used gas to try to force the suspect outside. When that didn't work they searched the home with a robot before sending officers back inside.
It was then that they confirmed Hall was deceased and that there were no other people inside the residence.
Cook said Arlington police had dealt with Hall in a "violent manner" in 2016 when following up on a suspicious person call. Cook said during that encounter, Hall got into a struggle with Cpl. Elise Bowden and tried to take both her gun and Taser. Cook said Hall escaped and fled to Kentucky where he was later taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of attempting to take a weapon from a police officer and for evading and resisting arrest.
During a search of Hall's residence, officers found cocaine, marijuana, hydrocodone and Xanax, all of which detectives believe had been available for sale.
Cook said each of the four people detained were tested for gun powder residue and that they do not believe any of them opened fire on police. Three of the people were released; the fourth, Billy Nevels, was arrested on outstanding misdemeanor warrants out of Dalworthington Gardens.
The injured officer, an 11-year veteran of the Arlington Police Department, was described as being in great spirits despite having been shot several times. Cook said the officer will continue undergoing medical procedures and will remain in the hospital for the time being.
"He's a very humble, very private person, but he wanted to convey his extreme gratitude and satisfaction for all the well wishes," Cook said. "The outpouring of support ... is just outstanding. So I wanted to share those comments from his family."
Cook said when warrants such as these are served it's common to have fire and EMS staged nearby -- so the injured officer was able to be quickly loaded into an ambulance and transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment.
A second officer injured in the shooting was treated and released after being grazed by a bullet.
During the investigation into the shooting overnight, Cook said police learned two rounds believed to have come from the AR-15 were found in a home across the street and that police were grateful no other injuries were reported.
