An Amarillo man allegedly opened fire on his family while they were watching television and later reportedly turned the gun on himself.
A standoff involving SWAT and Amarillo police officers came to an end after a gunman allegedly took his own life on February 13. At around 6 p.m., police received reports of a shooting inside a residence on the 3000 block of Mays Street.
The witnesses and victims said that their relative, 27-year-old Kodey Dunn, emerged from his bedroom with a handgun and allegedly began shooting at them while they were watching television, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Two were wounded, while two more managed to slip out the door unharmed. All four took refuge at a neighbor’s house and contacted the authorities.
While crisis negotiators and SWAT were called in to assist patrol officers, Dunn remained inside the home.
“SWAT and APD crisis negotiators took over for patrol and continued to try to call the suspect out of the house,” a news release from Amarillo police stated, per the Amarillo Globe-News. “Once SWAT was able to get close enough, they were able to get a camera inside the home and see the subject was down in a bedroom from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. SWAT then entered the home and confirmed the subject was deceased.”
The exact connection between Dunn and the victims, as well as the extent of the latter’s injuries, remain unknown at this time. Amarillo PD’s Violent Crimes Squad and homicide detectives are investigating the incident.
The prevalence of family violence is alarmingly high in Texas, where an estimated 1 in 3 Texans will find themselves a victim, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Yet a considerable number of incidents may go unreported.
In Dallas, a total of 1,592 reports of family violence had already been logged in 2024 as of February 14, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Three of these offenses were homicides, while the vast majority — 1,557 — were assaults.
The Dallas Police Department has been struggling to curb both violent and property crime amid a serious staffing shortage. Only around 3,000 officers are currently in its ranks despite a City report recommending 4,000 to ensure public safety.
The effects of this officer shortfall are most apparent in Downtown Dallas, which logs significantly higher rates of criminality than neighboring Fort Worth’s city center, comparative studies performed each month by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association attest. Fort Worth patrols its downtown area through a specialized police unit and private security guards.
Dallas City Council budgeted DPD just $654 million for police operations, considerably less than other high-crime cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.