A high-stakes manhunt turned deadly Thursday morning in Old East Dallas when a man was shot and killed in what police believe was a confrontation involving a bounty hunter.
The incident, which took place just east of downtown Dallas, has left one man dead and two bounty hunters in custody as detectives piece together a chaotic sequence of events.
Dallas police say the violence began around 8:45 a.m. on Florence Street, when two people allegedly started shooting at a man sitting in a nearby car. The victim, whose identity has not yet been released, tried to flee in his vehicle but crashed into a pole near the intersection of Cantegral and Live Oak streets. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Aerial footage from Fox 4 showed the aftermath: a white BMW with some heavy damage near the crash site.
Witnesses told reporters they observed two people in tactical vests chasing the man prior to the crash. Some described what appeared to be plain-clothes officers or bounty hunters.
One of the individuals detained at the scene is believed to be a bounty hunter pursuing a fugitive who had skipped bail, per Fox 4. However, it remains unclear whether the man who was shot and killed was the target of that pursuit or someone else caught in the conflict.
Police told NBC 5 that the shooting involved two men working as bounty hunters, identified as 34-year-old Rodney Brown and 23-year-old Jorge Moncivais. The pair was pursuing an individual at the time of the incident, though officials have not disclosed the reason behind the pursuit.
The case raises new questions about the oversight and accountability of bounty hunters in the state of Texas.
Unlike police officers, bounty hunters are not bound by the same use-of-force protocols or public reporting requirements. However, they often carry firearms and make dangerous arrests on a daily basis across the Lone Star State.