A Dallas police officer reportedly committed suicide after being involved in the shooting death of a murder suspect earlier in the week.
Officer Matthew Bacon was confirmed dead by the Dallas Police Department (DPD) on Wednesday, according to NBC 5 DFW. Bacon had served the police department for 18 years.
Bacon was one of two DPD officers involved in the fatal shooting of Corey Thomas on Monday morning. Thomas was in his pickup truck when the officers approached to execute an arrest warrant. Thomas allegedly pointed a gun at the officers, prompting them to fire their service weapons, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
A total of four officers reportedly fired their guns at Thomas that day. None of the officers were wearing body cameras, according to NBC 5.
Thomas was a suspect in a murder that took place on July 24 in the 1500 block of Mentor Avenue. Police said that an unidentified man had been found shot inside a vehicle. The man died from his wounds, Dallas Police reported.
DPD was scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday morning about the shooting of Thomas, but the event was canceled without a new date announced.
Two days after Thomas’ death, Bacon’s suicide was confirmed by authorities. However, the circumstances and details surrounding the suicide have not been released.
In a memo sent to the department, Chief Eddie García called the suicide “a heartbreaking loss for our DPD family.” He also encouraged his officers to get help if they needed it. “[N]ever hesitate to reach out,” García wrote, according to CBS News Texas.
Over his nearly two-decade career with law enforcement, Bacon received over 80 commendations. He was also partially responsible for creating a department database used to identify repeat offenders.
Bacon’s death comes as DPD continues to suffer from a severe staffing shortage. According to a City analysis, Dallas is short about 900 officers when it needs roughly 4,000 to adequately police the city.
Speaking broadly about what police officers have to deal with in an interview with NBC 5, Ray Schufford, founder of 2 The Next Shift, which supports police and firefighters’ mental health needs, said, “I would tell that first responder to reach out and talk to someone, anyone willing to help and someone who is willing to build a relationship with you. … [T]hey deal with so much.”
As of August 5, there have been 153 murders committed in Dallas, an increase of 6.25% year over year, according to a DPD report.