Lufkin: Woman dies after being shot by officer responding to her report of door-kicking incident after she answered door
Published: Fri, 12/29/23
LPD: Woman dies after being shot by officer responding to her report of door-kicking incident after she answered door armed with gun
Crime scene tape cordons off an area of Great Oaks Apartments where a woman was fatally shot by an officer responding to a report she called in, according to Lufkin Police Chief David Thomas.
Lufkin Police Department
The Lufkin Daily News
By STACY FAISON The Lufkin Daily News
December 29, 2023
A woman died after being shot by a Lufkin police officer Wednesday evening when she opened her Great Oaks Apartments door armed with a gun as authorities were responding to a report of two males at the complex kicking an apartment door, according to a statement from Lufkin Police Chief David Thomas.
The woman was identified as the person who called to report the door-kicking incident, and her identity will be released at a later time, Thomas said.
The officer was not physically injured but will remain on leave while the incident is investigated by the Texas Rangers, which is policy for any officer-involved shooting, according to Thomas.
“Please keep everyone involved in this situation and their families in your thoughts and prayers,” he said.
At 6 p.m., the officer was dispatched to the complex at 3205 Old Union Road after the woman called in the report. She told dispatchers that the incident happened roughly five minutes earlier and that they didn’t know which way the suspects had gone, Thomas said. The woman was told that an officer would respond to the apartment.
A short time later, a uniformed patrol officer arrived at the complex and scanned the area for the suspects while walking to the caller’s apartment. The officer rang the doorbell and moved away from the door to continue scanning the area for the suspects, according to Thomas.
A few seconds later, the door opened and a person emerged, leading with a handgun, Thomas said. The armed person was a woman, who Thomas said was yelling and cursing while charging forward with the gun aimed toward the officer.
“The officer fired four shots as they retreated from the armed woman,” Thomas said. “The armed woman was struck by gunfire and collapsed at the end of a staircase with the gun still within reach.”
The officer immediately notified dispatch of the shooting, secured the gun, began assessing the woman’s condition and rendered aid, including CPR, until paramedics arrived, Thomas said. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.
The investigation into who kicked the woman’s door is ongoing.